


The Ties that Bind

by HJMoriarty, OfDarknessAndLight



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Ben Solo AU, Capture, Enemies to Lovers, General Hux/Ben Solo - Freeform, Hurt/Comfort, Interrogation, Kylux - Freeform, Kylux Smut, M/M, Resistance Vs. First Order, Rough Sex, Slow Burn, Soft Kylux, kylux au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-29
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-08-18 13:38:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 92,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8163854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HJMoriarty/pseuds/HJMoriarty, https://archiveofourown.org/users/OfDarknessAndLight/pseuds/OfDarknessAndLight
Summary: When a First Order shuttle is intercepted by a Resistance Freighter piloted by Ben Solo, General Hux is captured and imprisoned.  But as a series of unlikely events unfolds, the two men discover that they may have more in common than they'd originally realized.





	1. Unbroken

Starlight.

That’s all that could be seen all around them. Celestial bodies waltzed with one another in a mix of cosmos and chaos - planets and moons, spotlighted by suns as they turned with one another in an everlasting dance which ceased to be interrupted by the little shuttle that made its way through space, touching everything natural and tainting it with something manmade.

_ But something with orde _ r.

The few stormtroopers that were aboard the aircraft milled about. The away mission had been a success, even though it hadn’t quite gone as planned. The information had been bought, the target obtained, and any witnesses had been conveniently taken care of. Amongst the soldiers and pilots stood a lone figure - a man about whom more rumors were whispered than anyone else in the First Order. A fire spirit, the more superstitious of the ranks concluded - a being born from the sun. A star fallen from the sky to the ground.

After all, he looked the part: pearlescent skin that seemed to glow from within, gemstone eyes, a shade of green touched with silver, filled with the wisps of stardust, and hair that held every imaginable shade of red and gold.  The vibrant hues mixed together in highlights and lowlights to form the fiery locks that adorned him like a crown.

A man, but a flame. A spirit, a demon. No one quite knew, but everyone averted their eyes when General Hux was near. He was the youngest to ever reach his rank - and there were rumors about that, too - that, although he may be the best strategist and technological expert in the Order, he left footprints of crimson wherever he went.

A malicious fire elemental, then.

Jade eyes turned upward from the datapad in Hux’s hand as he cast his gaze around the shuttle.  He took a step forward, moving to oversee the control console to check their ETA, and to make sure that his presence remained conspicuous and imposing.  After all, he was the single most powerful man in the First Order, other than the Supreme Leader himself.

“PI-3437, anything on--” The General’s question was cut off by a low groaning sound. Their shuttle suddenly jerked, the lights flickering on and off until everything went dark except for the red emergency lights. 

“We’re locked on, Sir!”

“I can see that!”

Another jerk of the ship.

“We’re being pulled in!”

“You’re useless!” Hux snapped, turning to his soldiers. “Prepare to be boarded. Blasters up! Form a line. Position Alpha Delta. Go!”

Pulling his own blaster from its holster, the General leveled it at the blast doors, sharp gaze focused only there. “Steady.” His voice was low, but heated, filled with contempt and control. “On my mark. Hold fire until I give the order. Shoot to kill. We’re taking no one; we’re here to leave, not to conquer.” 

There was yelling outside, orders given before a shout, ordering everyone in the shuttle to drop their weapons, for the little ship was surrounded.

Everything around Hux faded into the background. His entire body relaxed into a fighting position - muscles taut, but not tense. His breathing slowed, as did the beat of his heart as his focus honed on all of his training, his will to fight, and all of his skill. A breath, a beat of his heart, a slight dilation to his pupils. His mind settled, growing quiet - still, in a way that could only be compared to a trance.

The focus of a killer in the body of a flame.

Light cracked around the blast doors as their wiring was overridden. “Ready.” All the soldiers around him raised their weapons, holding their positions as the doors were opened. “Hold.” The General saw the first Resistance scum and a smirk pulled on his lips. “Fire!”

Laser fire flew from the shuttle, being returned almost instantly when the scum suddenly realized they were being attacked. Men and women fell to the ground with cut off cries of pain on both sides, hitting the floor like puppets whose strings had been cut. A stormtrooper was shot beside Hux, pulling on the General’s shoulder as he went down, toppling the ginger with him. There was a ringing in his ears as his head suddenly met with the metal flooring.  His vision blurred and his hearing was muffled as shouts from both sides echoed around him. 

Hux wiped away the blood that trickled from his nose, covering part of his lips.  He dropped down further, staying hidden behind his men as he escaped out an emergency exit, dropping into a kneeling position as soon as he had exited his shuttle. Jade eyes tagged each Rebel before searching out the security cameras and controls. There were no consoles in the docking area - smart, but irritating when trying to escape. Elsewhere, then. Fine. The ginger kept to the shadows as he slipped away from the fight and into a hallway of the Resistance ship. If they wanted to leave, the tractor beams needed to be disabled. Let his men handle the makeshift soldiers.  Hux would find the controls.

***

Ben Solo was pacing back and forth in the cockpit of the large Resistance freighter that he’d piloted to this location.  Being high in the ranks of the Resistance, second only to his mother, General Leia Organa, Ben rarely got to do his own piloting anymore.  However, with the tip off they had received regarding the location of a group of First Order soldiers, Leia had no time to scramble for a full crew.  

Ben had jumped at the chance to lunge, headlong, into the action once more.  He craved the rush of adrenaline that came with barreling into the thick of a fight, and had grown restless in an official position that was largely political.  He wanted adventure and glory, and finally he’d gotten his chance.  

This mission should have been a simple one: intercept the small First Order shuttle, lock onto it with their tractor beams, and bring it in.  The Stormtroopers wouldn’t be difficult to deal with, and whatever officers were present would make excellent prisoners, valuable for interrogation, or as bartering chips.   

It  _ should _ have been simple, but Ben knew in his gut that something was not right.  “I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” he mumbled to one of the co-pilots, seated behind the controls.  

Finally halting his pacing, Ben strode over to the security monitors and watched in horror as what should have been a clear-cut capture/surrender turned into a bloodbath.  Multiple casualties on both sides proved that this was not going to be as easy as they had presumed.  

“I’m going down there,” he stated, not waiting for his comrades to raise the obligatory objections he knew would be forthcoming, before stalking out of the cockpit toward the docking bay.  

***

Hux pressed his back to a parasteel wall, calming his breathing before peeking around the corner. He took aim and fired on the unsuspecting Rebel, watching his body crumple before running down the corridor and swiping the man’s identification card from the front of his uniform - as if the brownish attire could even be called anything more than a hand-me-down bathrobe, Hux thought with a sneer.

The sounds of the battle still raged, though dampened, now that he had distanced himself from the action. He moved cautiously to a pair of double doors, fumbling with the ID for a moment before sliding it through the reader and receiving a prompt for his handprint. He sighed heavily, holstering his blaster as he walked back to the body of the Rebel scum, dragging it over to borrow his biological passcode and gain access to the room.

Computer screens and monitors shined in the dim lighting. Two more shots and the Rebels on duty were down for the count, leaving the First Order General alone to use his own skills. It took him only a few seconds to hack the system, instantly targeting the tractor beams and disabling them. He stepped back, shooting the consoles again and again until they were nothing more than a pile of burning rubble. That would slow down anyone who wanted to bring the shuttle back to the ship after their escape.

Turning on his heel, the ginger retraced his steps, running down the halls and following the slowly dying sounds of battle to guide him back to where he had come from.

***

Ben could hear the sound of footsteps behind him and rolled his eyes at the Resistance soldiers who were obviously following him.  Of course, his mother would have given orders that he be guarded at all times, as if he were still a child - as if he couldn’t take care of himself.  Let them follow.  It didn’t matter.  

Suddenly sensing someone ahead, Ben froze in his tracks, holding up a hand to gesture for the men behind him to stop and stay quiet as well.  He pressed his back flush against the metal wall and waited for the intruder to round the corner.  

As soon as the figure came into view, Ben stepped away from the wall to face the him and thrust forward his hand with lightning sharp reflexes.  A soft humming of Force energy crackled through the air around them as the First Order officer froze in place, stiff from head to toe and unable to move.  

It took him a minute to realize at whom he was now staring.  Ben had only ever seen pictures on the holoprojector of this man - never in person, and definitely never at this close proximity.  With a quick jerk of his head, Ben signaled the soldiers behind him to step forward and cuff the man, who was held fast by the Force that flowed from Ben.  A dark smile teased at Solo’s lips as he let his hand fall, but left the forcefield firmly in place.  He took a few lazy steps forward, approaching his captive with his hands clasped behind his back.  

“What an unexpected pleasure to meet you,” he crooned, coming to a stop directly in front of the man.  “Welcome to the Resistance, General Hux.” 

The ginger’s body trembled as he tried to break the invisible bonds holding him in place, pressing down on him from all sides until he could barely breathe, let alone move away from the men as they forced his arms together and cuffed his wrists, one crossed over the other. He glared at the man before him - this man with eyes that kept flashing between gold and black as the shadows played over his face.

Dark, wavy hair was pulled up into a short bun and ponytail mix, strands falling on either side of the man’s face. He was looming - taller than Hux, himself, and certainly broader - more filled out. Jade eyes hardened, a sneer pulling on pale lips as the General looked over the man. He had the Force, obviously. There was no way around it.

And he was strong, trained.

“Ben...Solo,” he grit out. The son of Leia Organa, herself. Snoke had spoken of the man before, but Hux had never expected that he would witness the powers of the Force firsthand. “Coward. H-Hiding...behind...cheap parlor tricks.”

Ben regarded the man with a certain sense of fascination.  In many ways, he was Ben’s complete opposite, at least in a physical sense - pale skin and fiery red hair, with pale eyes.  He was almost a phantom - something ethereal - elemental.  Yet there was something else, less tangible below the surface, that gave him pause.  He couldn’t put his finger on it, but decided there would be plenty of time to meditate on that later.  

The towering raven-haired man stalked around the ginger General, circling him like a predatory animal stalking his prey.  Finally stopping to stand in front of Hux, he tilted his head slightly to one side, sneering at the ginger’s words.  

“You would do well not to mock the Force, General,” he said cooly, making a soft ‘tsk’ sound.  Without another word, Ben motioned for the soldiers to escort their prisoner to a holding cell for the remainder of the journey, while he went to the docking bay to determine whether there were any survivors.  

“We need to get back to the Base immediately.  Make preparations and I’ll be back momentarily.”  He stood and watched as the two Resistance soldiers half guided, half dragged the General down the corridor.  He couldn’t believe how fortunate they had been.  Yes, there had been lives lost, but to have taken such a powerful First Order official as a captive was an unbelievable victory for the Resistance.  Once they had rounded a corner, and were out of sight, Ben turned and made his way to the docking bay. 

***

Hux growled his frustration as he was thrown into a cell, his wrists still constrained as he kicked the wall that closed behind him. He debated yelling threats, offering favors, bribing, doing anything as the soldiers walked away, but he knew that it was no use. It was just a waste of breath, and he wasn’t one to beg. Ever.

Besides, so what if he got out of this prison?  He’d still have to deal with a Force-user who could petrify a person, taking complete control of their body and rendering it completely useless against him. With a sigh, the ginger stalked over to the cot screwed onto the wall opposite the doorway and sat down on it.

It had felt electric - like he’d been struck by lightning and paralyzed.  He could feel every one of his nerves screaming as he commanded them to move, but they were trapped. With a motion of his hand, the Prince of the scum had defeated him.

“Stop it!” The General snapped at himself. Now was not the time to wallow over the past, no matter how recent. He needed to formulate a plan. He needed to send a message back to the Finalizer, tell them to find the ship and take it - reverse the entire process and make his captors the captives. Still, his mind kept replaying everything - the feeling of running free one moment and being jerked to a stop the next. The confusion, the cold realization, the anger.

And now...this.

***

Ben had found a grisly scene in the docking bay.  Bodies were strewn over the floor, many bleeding, many dead, some clinging to consciousness by a thread.  He sighed heavily.  This was not the way it was supposed to have happened.  But it made little difference, since this was the way it was.  Pulling out his comm link, Ben sent a message back to the cockpit, ordering them to send stretchers and some droids to help with the wounded.  

Foolishly, they had rushed straight into a skirmish without being prepared for dealing with critically wounded soldiers.  The best they could do was to make the soldiers comfortable and administer first aid as well as they could, then get them back to the Resistance Base as quickly as possible.  

Once all the wounded had been relocated to a more comfortable area and were having their injuries tended to, Ben made his way back to the cockpit.  Sinking into the pilot’s seat, he barked orders at his fellow copilots and officers.  Moments later, they were making the jump to hyperspace, rocketing toward the Base.  

Ben considered sending a transmission to his mother, but how could he tell her that so many lives had been lost?  Besides, he reasoned, they would be back in a matter of minutes, and she would find out quickly enough.  Ignoring the nagging voice in his head that told him he ought to give her the courtesy of advance warning, he slouched in his seat and watched as the stars around them turned to blinding streaks of light.  They would be home, soon.

***

Back in the cells, Hux was plagued with the groaning of his men - all of them in rooms separate from his. He could smell the metallic scent of their blood, could hear the pain in their voices as they moaned when the ship gave little jerks in its travel. He was steeling himself. His men were nothing but foot soldiers to the Resistance. They would be mended and sent into a prison for war criminals.

He wouldn’t get that blessing, and he knew it.

The Resistance wouldn’t pass up the chance to use the General of the First Order to tap information. He’d be going straight into the interrogation chambers. A harsh shudder of the ship, and the ginger knew they had come out of hyperspace. The metal scraping - the sound of gears fighting to slow down in mere seconds - would be his death toll.

So, this was where the fight truly began.

***

Ben expertly brought the ship down for its landing.  A small herd of Resistance soldiers and officers came flooding out to greet them as they set down just outside the compound.  Ben shuddered as he spotted his mother among the men and women that were gathering around the freighter.  He took a deep breath, powered down his portion of the controls, and hoisted himself out of the pilot’s seat.  

No one exited the ship before Ben, out of respect to both his heritage and rank, but also out of fear.  No one would admit it to his face, but the young Solo knew it - could feel the fear radiating off them when he came near.  It wasn’t that he’d given them reason to suspect he would harm them, but the vast majority of the men and women here did not understand the Force, and people always fear what they can not understand.  

Striding down the gangplank, Ben greeted his mother with an publicly appropriate level of affection.  He could see the relief written on her features as she laid eyes on him and saw that he was not hurt.  

“Mothe-- General,” he corrected himself immediately.  “We’ve suffered losses, and there are wounded soldiers.  We need medics, quickly.”  

As if on cue, several stretchers were carried off the ship and lined up in a row on the tarmac.  Ben cringed at the sight of them before turning back to his mother.  

“But, I do have a piece of  _ good _ news as well.  Excellent, in fact.  We have captured General Hux.  He’s in confinement on the ship as we speak.”  

A thousand emotions flickered over Leia’s face at her son’s words. She was proud of him, certainly,  and more than content with the news, though she wished that she didn’t see so many hurt men and women. However, to have a First Order General in their midst was both very good and very bad.

It was good because they now had a prisoner who was a wealth of information - especially Hux, being so close to Snoke - and because they had a bargaining chip that was higher in value than they could ever ask for in the war.

But it was bad because it meant that, once the First Order knew that their General was taken, they would fight to get him back before he could talk. If they could get him to talk. Surely he wouldn’t be a man to just hand out information to his greatest enemies. Not with the rumors that she’s heard about him. Not with the tidbits that informants whispers through the proverbial grapevine.

“I’m just glad that you’re alright,” the woman murmured, stepping closer so that no one around them could hear her whispered words. Gingerly, she reached up a hand to rest against Ben’s cheek. “I know that you’re restless, Honey, but I just want to keep you safe. Once you’ve finished your training with Luke, my mind will be more at ease.”

With a drawn in breath, Leia stepped back, straightening up. “Go and get him. Escort him to an interrogation room.”

Ben nodded.  They’d had this conversation countless times before, and it always ended the same way.  ‘After you’ve finished your training’ was the answer every time.  Why could she not see that he was already more powerful, even than Luke?  She tried not to show it, but he had overheard her talking to his father.  ‘Too much Vader in him’ they would say.  They were afraid of their own son.  The thought both thrilled and sickened him.  

Turning back toward the ship, Ben made his way to the cell where General Hux had been confined.  He paused for a moment before keying in the code to open the door.  His behavior, now, was crucial.  If Hux saw uncertainty or weakness in him now, there would be no going back.  It was absolutely critical that he put on a facade of absolute self-assurance and strength.  

Ben took a deep breath as the door slid open, and stepped through without hesitation.  His stony gaze immediately fell on the General, who was sitting stoically on the bunk before him.  He was struck by the paradox of the man before him.  He seemed larger than life, as if it shouldn’t be possible to restrain him with mere manacles and parasteel walls.  Yet here he was. 

“Get up,” he barked.  “It’s time to go.” 

Starry eyes flicked up to look at the dark-haired man. The Force-user. The gaze picked him apart, reading everything that the man was giving him and filing it away for later use - for when it mattered. Now, it didn’t. Now was the time to show the Resistance that, while he was to be held prisoner here, he was not broken, nor intimidated. So, with a little tilt of his head - a small acknowledgement that he had heard the man - Hux stood.

While he kept his face neutral, the General straightened his back and leveled his shoulders. Unbreakable. Untouchable. Unattainable. There was a crack in Ben’s mask - a little flicker in his eye. A slow smirk appeared on the ginger’s lips for a fraction of a second. A tease. A small show of ‘I know’. Afterward, he stepped forward, waiting until the taller man grabbed him by the arm and started to lead him away from his first cell.

His first, because the man of fire and destruction knew that this was where he would be separated from any of his men that survived, bounced around from person to person until they gave up on him or the Order came to reclaim him. It was only a matter of time, whether or not the rebellious armies knew it.

“How long do you think it will take before my fleet is upon you?” Hux questioned, his voice lilting, but mostly flat as he spoke. Bored. The game had started and he was determined to be the breaker, not the broken. “After all, time is a thing that you never have enough of, is it? One day there, the next gone. Always...running. Never enough. Always letting you down when you most need it. Tick tock, Mr. Solo.”

They stepped into the light a moment later and a complete silence fell over the crowd of people outside. All eyes turned to the men walking off the ramp. Even when the General was given a sudden jerk, pulling him off balance, he caught himself, stayed steady. A soft murmur came from his crew and he sent a look over to them. Laid out on stretchers or not, they saluted him, were loyal to him. Would die for him.

So he would remain unbroken, for them.

A cheer suddenly erupted all around them as Hux was paraded toward the base, whispering just loud enough for his captor to hear, “Tick. Tock.”

Ben did his best to ignore the jabs that the Order General kept throwing his way.  He knew the man was trying to get under his skin.  Moreover, he knew that this man, in particular, was intelligent, shrewd, and ruthless.  But Ben Solo was no fool, either, and he refused to let Hux’s taunting produce any discernable effect.  

Once they’d stepped into the glaring light of day, Ben paused, giving Hux a subtle jerk - just enough to let him know who was in control of this situation.  He grinned as the crowd erupted into cheers of jubilation.  Finally, it seemed, Ben had done something right - something he could be respected for, other than his incredible power in the Force.  

After a momentary pause, he shoved the General forward, still gripping his arm tightly.  His arm was thin - not heavily muscled, but sleek and slender.  Ben wondered idly whether he could snap the bones in his hand, if he tried.  There may yet be time to find out, once they reached the interrogation room.  

Ben led Hux through the throngs of Resistance fighters who had made their way out to gawk at the spectacle.  He waved them away, continuing into the compound, through the twisting hallways and into a small, sparsely furnished room with a large two-way mirror on one wall. The thick metal door slammed shut and locked behind them, and Ben spared no gentleness as he nearly tossed the General into the cold metal chair.  

“We can do this one of two ways,” Ben said in a quiet, metered voice.  “You can be a good little soldier boy and tell me what I want to know, sitting in your nice little chair here, and perhaps you’ll be granted a stay of execution.  Or…”  He slowly paced back and forth behind Hux’s chair, staying just out of his field of vision on purpose.  “Well.  The second option is not nearly so pleasant.  If you refuse to cooperate, we’ll have no choice but to use more...shall we say ‘Force-ful’ methods of extracting the information we need.”  

Slowly, Ben made his way around to the other side of the table, though he did not sit in the chair which rested there.  He stood, with his hands clasped behind his back and simply stared at the fiery haired General, waiting for him to speak.  

“How many times in your life have you hidden behind your abilities? Does that work often for you? Do you have a kink for telling people that you’re more powerful than they are?” Hux asked lowly, his voice a blade as he watched the man with a level gaze.

There was no fear within the General’s eyes. No showing of worry. He knew what awaited him, and the Force was just another means to an end. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen its power before - the Supreme Leader was quite confrontational when someone failed him. The ginger had seen men choke on air, thrown across rooms. He’d seen Snoke do things he could only label as ‘magic’.

And he hated that word, for there was no logical explanation to it.

“How many people are afraid of you, just because you hold power that they cannot imagine? Do you have to prove you come in peace or do people generally just...roll over for you?” The ginger quirked an eyebrow as though he was curious for an answer. “Have you realized, yet, how lonely it is at the top?”

‘And how stupid you look with your hair tied back like a servant boy?’ Hux added mentally to himself. 

As General Hux spoke, Ben allowed himself a half smirk, and shook his head, looking down at the floor before lifting his gaze again, as if he had heard all this before and was quite bored by it.  

“You think yourself very smart, don’t you?” he asked, leaning forward with his palms pressed against the cool surface of the table.  “But you’re a fool if you can’t see that  _ everyone _ \- including you - ‘hides’ behind their abilities.  We all have different abilities, it’s true.  Some of us have more life-threatening abilities than others, but…” 

Suddenly, he stopped, tilting his head slightly and staring at the General.  “I really do pity you, in a way,” he said, his voice holding a tone of near amusement, “if your top concern right now is my hairstyle.”  Ben leveled the General with a challenging glare.  

The ginger’s mask broke for a moment, eyes widening slightly. He hadn’t spoken that aloud. Hadn’t voice anything other than his own start of breaking down the other man’s walls. But that meant…

“Get out of my head,” Hux snapped, instantly putting up whatever mental barriers he could think of. He imagined a wall of bricks suddenly building up, thought of nothing but black fog, and little facts that were useless - How many lounges does the Finalizer have? How many rivets are found on a standard screw? This is how easy it was to hack the systems on the freighter.

His expression turned stoic once more. “Party tricks, again, Mr. Solo? Can you do anything without a handicap?”

Ben sighed, more out of boredom or disappointment than out of frustration.  He pushed up from the table and begam to pace again, casting a quick glance to the two-way mirror and the people he knew were on the other side, watching.  

“You disappoint me, General,” he said, determined not to allow the ginger to get him riled.  He knew he could make Hux understand the power of the Force  _ intimately _ in a moment if he wanted to, but he also knew that his mother would have his head if he did so.  Besides, a dead General would never give any information at all.

“I owe you nothing.  I need not give you any explanation or justification for my methods, but I will say this, and you would do well to remember it.  My abilities in the Force - the power you claim I am hiding behind - are skills I have honed over years of disciplined training.  It is not ‘magic’ and it is not ‘parlor tricks’.  It is a spiritual discipline, and a way of life in both peace and war.  Tell me, General, how capable of a soldier would  _ you _ be if I took away all your military training, all your weapons, all your knowledge you’ve accumulated through study and experience through the years?  It is no different.” 

Ben stopped pacing and walked around the table, stopping beside the chair Hux was seated in, and turning it to face him.  He squatted down to put himself at Hux’s eye level, positioning himself well within the General’s personal space.  His face was deadly serious now, and he spoke quietly.  “The next time you mock the Force, you will live to regret it.  Do not test me in this, General Hux.” 

The ginger’s gaze met the honey eyes before him - watched as they darkened more quickly than he could blink - witnessed the drop of black swirl around in them until there was hardly any gold left in them. He didn’t know much about the Force other than what he had gathered in his studies, but he knew that whatever was locked inside of Solo’s gaze was not normal.

“You’re not all light,” Hux whispered, surprising himself slightly when he realized that he hadn’t moved away from the taller man being so close to him. He shook off the thought. It didn’t matter. Fear tactics. Interrogation. Forget it. “Well isn’t that curious. You...you have the darkside in your eyes, Ben Solo. Does it call to you?”

The smirk that normally adorned the ginger’s lips returned.

Who would ever suspect that the golden boy of the Resistance was conflicted in his power?

Shock flickered over Ben’s eyes, followed quickly by confusion, and finally rage, when Hux questioned him about his allegiance to the Light.  He knew nothing.   _ Nothing _ of what Ben had been through - what he still was going through, every day.  

“Enough!” he finally shouted, standing to his feet and slamming his fist on the table beside Hux. “You speak of things you don’t understand, and you expect me to roll over and show you my belly?  Or perhaps you think you can get me so angry that I stumble and make a fatal error in judgement?” 

Ben pointed toward the two-way mirror.  “You are an intelligent man, General, and I have no doubt you are well aware that there are men and women standing just on the other side of that glass, who will be in this room in a matter of seconds if they think that I am in danger, or that things are not going according to plan.  You run your mouth and speak in circles because it’s all you know to do in your situation.  You know you are out of options.  You are at the mercy of the Resistance, now, and you’d better get comfortable with the idea, because you are not going anywhere.”  

He pivoted on his heel and stormed out of the room without so much as a glance over his shoulder at the General, and made his way to the observation room where his mother, along with several other high ranking officers were sequestered.  Holding up his hands in a frustrated apology, Ben entered the room.  

“I let him get to me.  I’m sorry,” he said. 

In the interrogation room, Hux wanted to smirk, but he couldn’t find it in himself to do so. The air had crackled when Ben suddenly was consumed by rage. It felt almost alive as it danced around him, nudged him from all sides, and then vanished completely once the man had left the room. Now, the ginger let out a slow breath, willing himself to take back control once more. He had gotten in. He had broken down the man and, now, all he had to do was keep hammering until Ben Solo shattered.

On the other side of the two-way mirror, Leia Organa frowned at the other General. He was much younger than she’d expected, but phantoms lurked in his jade orbs. When no one was watching, Hux became one of the most haunted people that Leia had laid eyes on.

“It’s okay,” She finally consoled her son, placing a hand on his arm. “He was trained for this and all the reports have said that he knows how to push buttons to get the results he wants. But that doesn’t mean that he will always remain thus.” Organa smiled softly, giving Ben a look of pride and love that only a mother could. “Give it time, Ben. And don’t let him get into your head.”

When she turned away, again, it was with a heavy heart. She held a great disdain for forcing their way into someone’s mind. It was a gift that Ben had found out on his own as he picked up stray thoughts here and there. While it was effective and efficient, it was too dark for her heart to accept it as anything other than a last resort. It felt too much like Vader and too much like using her son to accomplish something. Neither of which she ever wanted to consider.

“No one ever said that it would be easy to deal with this man.”

Ben stepped forward, around Leia, to face her again.  “Mother,” he said, softly enough that the others present couldn’t hear, “Let me interrogate him on my own.  Alone.  I can get the information we need from him, but I must be free to use my own methods.”  

“Ben,” the woman stated, fixing him with a stern look. “It’s too dark. To go into someone’s mind like that? That’s something that changes you. I know that you feel what they do, Honey. Don’t do that to  _ yourself _ .”

Ben wilted visibly, frustrated and confused.  “Mom...what he said about the Dark Side in me…” He shook his head, hands clenching into fists.  “He knows nothing.”  Ben gave his mother a pleading look, begging her to believe in him - to demonstrate that she had faith in his abilities and his judgement.  But such belief was not forthcoming, and he knew it.

“Fine,” he said, throwing up his hands. “What about torture?”

Leia looked once more through the glass and the unmoving figure of General Hux, at the way that he kept himself controlled in every possible mannerism. The way that everything he did seemed to be calculated and planned ahead of time. The way that he seemed to have more faith in his side coming to his aid than he did in the power of the Force.

“He’s only a year older than you, Ben,” she finally stated, not dismissing or accepting the method that her son put forth. “Just a year.”

Ben gave his mother a quizzical look.  “What’s that got to do with it?” he asked.  “Are you feeling maternal toward him?  Don’t forget this is the same man who has obtained his position of authority by having anyone in his way murdered.  Do you feel sorry for him, Mother?”  He shook his head with an exasperated sigh.  

“The only way we’re going to get  _ anything _ out of that man is by using his own methods against him.  Do you think Hux would bat an eye at torturing a prisoner to within an inch of death?”  He turned to look through the glass at the General, still seated in his chair, cool as a cucumber, at least on the surface.  

“We have been given an incredible opportunity,” he finally said in a soft voice.  “We  _ have _ to do what is necessary.”  

Leia was silent for a long moment, turning away from everyone in the small room to instead consider their options alone. This was the part of the war that no one spoke about. The part of it that remained unglorified by propaganda and flourishing speeches used for recruitment and unification. It was the part that she loathed to have any hand in.

“We’ll leave,” she concluded, turning back to face the dark-haired man. “We’ll leave you two alone, but  _ do not _ use that power. We will not resort to that unless we absolutely must. Do you understand me?”

Ben looked away, biting the inside of his cheek before meeting his mother's gaze with a nod.  "I understand."     
  
He waited for Leia and the rest to leave the room before he walked back into the hallway, himself.  He inhaled deeply, collecting his thoughts and emotions before opening the door to the interrogation room again.     
  
Stepping inside, Ben fixed his gaze on the General.  "You are a clever one," he said with a subtle shrug.  "I'll give you round 1.  But don't believe for a moment that you are going to win the match."  He walked over to the chair that sat opposite Hux's, on the other side of the table.  The metal chair legs made an obnoxious screeching sound as he dragged the chair back and sat down in it.  Scooting forward, he folded his hands in front of himself, resting them on the table.     
  
"Let's try this again," he said quietly.

"And here I was just starting to miss you," Hux sardonically returned. His mask was back in place, his defenses solidifying once more as he stared down the other man. He wasn't afraid, despite Ben's power. He wouldn't break, no matter what happened. "Shall we continue where we left off? We were having quite an interesting conversation about you. And, in your absence, I've been thinking, Scum Prince. If you are related to the Resistance General, then that also makes you the grandchild of Darth Vader. Is that where your darkness comes from?"   
  
The ginger was walking on thin ice and he knew it, but the longer they played these mind games, the more time he was giving the Order to track him down and take him away from here. Burn the Resistance to the ground and end the war once and for all. But pushing the man into killing him wasn't something Hux was keen on doing. Rather, he had to watch his step. Buy the Order time, but also keep himself alive. It was chess.

Ben sneered at his prisoner, unwilling to budge an inch.  After the General’s observation about the Dark side having a hold on him, he had been expecting this jab at his bloodline.  The observation itself was unsettling, though.  Was it so obvious, that even a man with little knowledge of, and almost no experience with, the Force could tell simply by looking at him that he continuously battled his own dark side demons?  No, he thought.  This was no ordinary man.

“Very astute of you, General,” he quipped, nodding.  “However, if you mean that as an insult, you are far afield. Yes, Darth Vader was my grandfather, though I never had the honor of meeting the man.  He was one of the most powerful Force wielders of all time, and I hold him in high regard.”  

Ben leaned back in his chair, unclasping his hands and placing them in his lap.  “I know that my family heritage is a fascinating topic of conversation to one such as yourself, but I’m much more interested in talking about  _ you _ , General.”  He spoke matter-of-factly, keen eyes watching every facial twitch, every eye blink, every sign of quickened respiration or flush of skin.  Hux wasn’t giving much in the way of feedback.  Not  _ yet. _  He wracked his mind, trying to think of some tidbit of lurid information he could throw out that would cause even the slightest crack in the General’s icy facade.  

“As long as we’re talking about family, why not consider yours?” he finally offered.  “But, if the rumors can be believed, you never had much of a family, did you?  Bastard born, weren’t you?  An embarrassment to your father?  What happened to your mother?  Was she a slave in your father’s manor?  Did she sleep with the dogs in the kennel?” 

A flash of some dark flame appeared in the ginger’s eyes. His family - his origins - were not something that he cared to focus on. His father was a cruel man and he had no issue with proving it to the General. Hux's childhood had proved that time and again. The blatant loathing of his existence. The disdain. Every crack of a backhanded slap across his cheek. Brendol Hux hated his son, simply for existing. Birthed from a mother who would never be recognized by the man. Despite everything, the General had risen up from the ashes, used the flames of his father's hate to lash back at the man, to tear apart every preconceived notion he had about his illegitimate son and use it as the kindling of his motivation to push harder, be colder, and become better.   
  
"My father..." Hux started slowly. "Is a highly successful man. A military genius. He rules his family with an iron fist. His acknowledged son is a great soldier and a man that anyone would be envious of." A pause. "I plan to remember that when I take him apart piece by piece in front of my father."    
  
The General tilted his head and placed his cuffed hands on the top of the table. Feigning relaxation, even as his eyes kept the fire from before - hurt hidden beneath the blaze - and a sneer tried to pull at his lips. "I can't say your family is much better off. My mother was a woman of old money and prestige that trusted the wrong man having an affair. Yours openly chose your smuggler father. And, from what I've heard, he's really not much of a father at all, is he? More of an imaginary friend to a princess who doesn't know when to let go."

‘Touche’ Ben thought to himself, though he gave away nothing in his expression.  Han Solo’s conspicuous absence was not something that had been kept secret, though it hit a nerve, deep down.  

“Bravo, General,” he said, slowly lifting his hands in a slow, mocking clap.  “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to impress me.  But nevermind that.”  He waved a hand dismissively and looked down at the table in front of him.  “I do not deny my father’s shortcomings.  And believe me, they are far more numerous that  _ you _ know.  I learned to accept his absence long ago.”  The words came easily, yet there was no conviction behind them.  Even without trying to enter the General’s mind, Ben could hardly help but sense the emotion radiating from the man at the mention of his father.  He had expected to feel triumphant at this small chink in the previously impervious armor the ginger wore, but instead, he felt something very much like compassion.  Perhaps they weren’t so  _ very _ different after all…

No!  That was a dangerous line of thought, and one that would lead to nothing good.  

“Tell me about your Base of Operations, General Hux.  We hear rumors that you are constructing a weapon.  Tell me about that.”

The General neutralized his expression once more, pulling back the burning embers in his eyes and snuffing them out. The game was just beginning, there was no point in letting his emotions rule him over a simple jab. It meant nothing. It should mean nothing. That didn’t stop it from meaning something.

With a breath, Hux leveled the field once more. Two pawns had been sacrificed by each side - both digging under the skin of each other. But still a match game.

“I command the Finalizer. It’s a Star Destroyer that is roughly twice the length of an Imperial-level ship of its kind. Weapons fully equipped and highly effective. It’s made of various steel products and decorated as--” The ginger was cut off suddenly.

Ben’s only true acknowledgement to these useless factoids was a roll of his eyes.  His head bobbed to the side in frustration as he interrupted the ginger’s litany of information. 

“The  _ weapon _ , General.  You have been developing a weapon that can obliterate an entire planet, much like the Death Star that my grandfather oversaw.  Tell me something useful, or this procedure will get unpleasant very quickly.” 

“A weapon? What an interesting concept of an army in a war creating a weapon to get the advantage. Did you get that information from an actual spy or have you just read too many fantasy novels?” The ginger quipped back, one eyebrow quirking up. 

“The Resistance’s sources are none of your concern.  Obviously, we do not know the specifics of what you are developing, or I would not be asking you, now.”  Ben glowered at the General.  This line of questioning was going nowhere, and he knew he was going to need to be more persuasive. 

“False, Mr. Solo,” Hux hummed. “From the way you’re talking, you don’t know  _ anything _ about the weapons that we may or may not be developing. It’s a bit drafty in here, isn’t it?” He smirked, the change of subject just another game he was playing.

Ben shook his head, dropping his gaze to the table before him in an obvious show of resignation, but immediately, his rich brown eyes snapped back up to meet the icy green of the First Order General, and a dark smirk tugged at his lips as he thrust forward one hand.  

Energy crackled through the atmosphere like static electricity, and instantly, an invisible bond coiled tightly around Hux’s throat.  

“I’ve tried to be civil with you, General,” Ben said calmly, but with venom in his eyes, “and you continue to try my patience.”  The muscles in his arm tensed, tightening the loops around the ginger’s throat as he spoke.  “Now, I’m going to ask you again, to tell me something useful before I snap your neck like a chicken wing.” 

A memory floated to the surface of Hux’s mind.

He had been trained for this. Conditioned. Taught how not to talk, no matter what happened to him. After all, he was just one part of a greater plan.

But that memory cut through him.

_ A hand wrapped tightly around his neck, a table pressing into his back as he was pinned there by a mentor, conditioning him to not react. To still his tongue, to dissociate when the pain grew to the point that it was consuming. That there was nothing left but his body crying out for any kind of mercy. _

_ Black leather wrapped around his neck, his vision blurring, darkening, failing, and then blinking over again to his mentor checking his pulse and moving onto the next training section. _

“Fight...fair.”

Ben’s gaze was trained on his captive as he tightened the noose around his neck.  Without warning, a series of images flashed through his mind, and he gasped softly as a flicker of doubt skittered across his eyes.  It was a memory that Hux was recalling.  That much was certain.  But, the implications were deeply troubling. 

He chose to push the images aside, steeling himself and furrowing his brow as his fingers clenched slightly, further constricting the General’s windpipe.  

“Tell.  Me.  Something.”  he growled, desperate to gain some tidbit of information, but also desperate for this to end.  Ben suddenly wanted nothing more than to escape the confines of that interrogation room, and the presence of this man.  

“Don’t...tell me...this isn’t...magic,” the General grit out.

Ben scowled.  Whatever insane conditioning this man had undergone, he had learned his lessons well.  His lip curled into a snarl as his Force grip tightened further, until Hux could no longer draw a breath.  He watched with morbid fascination as the General’s face turned red, and then a sickly shade of blue, and he knew that even if he had  _ wanted _ to speak, now, he wouldn’t be able to.  

Frustrated and angry, Ben forcefully flung his arm downward, completely releasing his grip on the ginger’s neck, and leaving him to reflexively gasp for breath.  He stood abruptly, and the metal chair toppled, skidding across the floor as he cast a final withering glance at Hux, and then strode to the door. Before opening it, though, he paused.  He did not turn his head, but stared straight ahead as he spoke quietly.

“We’ll talk again after you’ve had a chance to reconsider your options, General.”  And with that, he opened, and walked through, the door. 

Reconsider? The ginger hardly needed anything to make him reconsider what his options were and then come to the same conclusion. He would not talk. The Resistance obviously didn’t know anything about Starkiller Base if they expected just another, single planetary destructor. No. What was coming to them was much more devastating than that. 

And no matter what these scum threw at him - magic or not - the General would not bend to them. The First Order would not bow to anyone. Anything. 

Moments later, a few guards entered the room and forced Hux to his feet, bodily dragging him from the room instead of letting him get his footing before shoving him down the hall, blasters leveled at him.

The General clenched his jaw, but started to move in the direction they wished nonetheless. They turned a corner - this place was nothing more than a crumbling labyrinth. A relic of a time that had no place in present minds. It was a tomb. And he would see to it that the catacombs were filled.

Jade eyes rose from the ground as a man walked past them - brown robes, tan under tunic, a mop of grey and brunette hair, and crystal blue eyes. Their gazes met for a moment before Hux was shoved to move faster. How long, he wondered, would he have to put up with that man’s student before the master came to play?


	2. What Dreams May Come

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay in posting this chapter. My family is in process of moving, and my life is utter chaos! I'll try to be more punctual in the future. Thanks so much for reading! <3

The cell into which Hux was thrown was damp and cold and silent, except for the sound of water dripping from the ceiling. Heaving a sigh, the ginger found a dry spot in the far corner and slid down to the ground, keeping his back against the wall and closing his eyes for the first time since he’d been captured.

Meanwhile, Ben stalked back and forth across the room where his mother stood, looking over a wall of holographic images, statistics, and technical readouts.  He paced like a caged animal, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.  

“I’m telling you, Mother, you have to let me into his mind.  The information is _there_ , ripe for the taking.  All I have to do is reach in and pluck it out.  He’s never going to break otherwise.”  

The flustered young man paused his pacing and stepped up beside his mother, watching the expressions flicker across her face.  If only he could make her see that his abilities were a gift to be used to their advantage, and not something to be feared and eschewed.  He took a deep breath before continuing, unsure whether to reveal to her what he had seen in Hux’s mind during their conversation.  Finally, he spoke, more softly this time.

“I saw things, Mother.  I wasn’t trying to see, but his thoughts were so loud - so _potent._  He’s been through some kind of training to condition him against interrogation and torture.  His own mentors tortured him, to teach him…”  

Ben trailed off as the images flashed through his mind again, somehow even more disturbing now that he was able to give them his full attention.  He shivered as he felt the cool leather against the skin of his throat, and it was Ben, himself, who was looking up into the eyes of his torturer.  With another shudder, he turned away from Leia, ashamed that he had allowed himself to be so affected by the memory.  

“Just think about it.”

“Ben,” Leia whispered, turning off all the projections and facing her son. There was concern etched in her features, mixed in those dark eyes, with pain. She hurt for her son - for the conflicts within him. She would take all of his suffering onto herself if she could. Anything to make it so she didn’t have to watch the son she loved crumble in on himself. “What you saw in his mind just goes to show what the First Order is capable of doing. If they so willingly do that to their own people…”

That thought trailed off as a deep frown appeared on the once-Princess’ lips. “Honey, what you’re asking is too dangerous.” As she spoke, Organa stepped toward Ben, turning his face back to her. “You already have been influenced by his mind.  Do you really think that what you witnessed was anything more than just the tip of the iceberg?”

‘Maybe Luke should just talk to him instead,’ Leia thought, her frown increasing as she pulled Ben into a tight embrace.

Ben flinched when he heard the thought come from his mother’s mind and ricochet off his own.  He had to force himself not to address it.  Doing so would only inflame the already sensitive subject, and he wasn’t ready to have that fight just yet.  He allowed himself to be enveloped in the arms of his mother.  She loved him; he knew that.  And yet, her love was tainted by fear and pity.  

“Give me another chance,” he simply said, pulling back to look into her face.  “Tomorrow.  Give me one more chance.”  

There was a long pause - a moment where time seemed to stop as they stared at one another, considering options and pleading with one another through their gazes. Leia wanted to say no. To deny her son any proximity near the First Order General, but Ben was adamant. He always felt like he needed to prove himself to everyone in the Resistance, and the woman knew that.

It hurt to know that he thought that he had to show everyone that he was on their side, that he wasn’t a monster, that he could be accepted.

“He’ll be in his cell for the remainder of the day. Tomorrow morning, he will be delivered once more to the interrogation room,” Organa reported solemnly. “You started this mission, Ben. I will allow you to finish it.”

***

When Hux was thrown back down into the metal chair - this was a different room, similar, but with a smaller window - it was with more bruises blossoming on his fair skin than the day before. Some of his guards didn’t take kindly to him being in their base. They made it known in a mosaic of purples and blues.

The door slamming shut echoed in the small room, ringing in the ginger’s ears like gunfire until the air settled once more and he was left to collect himself for the day he faced.

He had hardly slept last night, not that he hadn’t tried, but that every time he’d drifted off, he was jolted back into wakefulness by water being thrown on him or his guards feeding him like a damn caged rat - tossing pieces of bread at him and hissing snide comments at him until they were off duty and the next group took over.

Still, he would not break for them.

***

Ben Solo sauntered casually into the interrogation room and stood facing the General with a blank expression on his face for a full minute before speaking.  He thought he could sense a difference in the prisoner from the day before, but it was subtle, and nowhere near the difference he’d been hoping for.  Naturally.  One night in a prison cell was hardly enough to cause a man like this to crumble.  

“Sleep well, General?” he asked coolly, gaze fixed on the ginger.

“In that broom closet you call a cell?” The ginger answered back, raising his gaze to his interrogator. “I slept. Though I missed my morning tea.  Care to fetch me some so we can stop playing these games and I can move on to more...masterful members of your ragtag group of misfits?”

Ben disregarded his remarks on the accommodations, staring at Hux as if he could bore a hole right through the ginger’s head with the heat of his gaze.  He allowed himself the faintest smile and chuckled.  

“So that’s your game, is it?” he finally said.  “You want to speak with Luke?”  He shook his head.  “You probably don’t really want that, to be honest.  But nevermind.”

Ben situated himself in the chair opposite Hux, still watching him carefully.  “Alright, our meeting yesterday was less than satisfactory.  Why don’t we try this again?  Tell me about the weapon.”

“The Finalizer is equipped with a variety of weapons, ranging from standard lasers to Ventral Cannons lined around the edges. In addition to that,” Hux answered, rattling off various factoids and statistics that didn’t matter.

Time. Time was on his side more than that of the Resistance. All he had to do was harness it, wield its power against the people around him, and wait. All he had to do was endure. And that’s what all of his military training had been for - mental and physical prowess. His conditioning had been for control.

“So, there’s the rundown of our weapon. Next question?”

Ben lightly sucked at his lower lip, brows furrowed in an expression of, ‘You fool, don’t make me hurt you again.’  He sighed, standing from his chair, in favor of pacing again.  

“Fine,” he said, nonchalantly, “Since you seem so keen on discussing this _Finalizer_ of yours, tell me more about that.  Where is it currently located?”  He glanced over his shoulder at the General, trying to give an impression of casual disinterest.  

“Well, that depends whether it’s where I left it. If so, then it’s just outside of the Hosnian System,” Hux answered back in a bored tone, his head tilting slightly, eyes tracking the movements of the other man. “You don’t really do this much, do you?”

That comment earned Ben’s attention, and his head snapped in the direction of the prisoner, an unmistakable spark of anger behind his gaze, but he quickly dampened the flames and carried on pacing, deciding to ignore the jab.  It was true - he hadn’t done this sort of thing very often, primarily because his mother, the General, refused to allow him to use the interrogation methods at which he excelled, but that was hardly the business of the man sitting before him now.  After all, Ben was the one in control… Wasn’t he?

“It’s unlikely that your crew would have moved the ship without your orders, is it not?” he asked, pausing to look at Hux.  

“Unlikely, I suppose, in normal circumstances,” the General stated, nodding his head as though he was in the process of actually considering the words spoken to him, instead of already having decided on an answer. As though he didn’t know that he had more of an advantage, here, than any of them suspected.

With a shrug and a slight lean forward, bound hands falling into Hux’s lap as he moved slightly, he said, “But this isn’t exactly a normal circumstance, and… huh.” He paused to furrow his brow. “None of your men, or yourself, ever stopped to consider that my tracker was still on.” The General smirked. “I’d say...that my ship has moved.”

Ben whirled to face the General, a thousand thoughts and emotions rushing through his mind.  Was it possible?  Could they really have overlooked such a thing?  Surely, he was bluffing.  And yet…

“You’re lying,” he growled, placing his hands on the table and leaning forward menacingly.  

“Or you’re cornered. So lost in celebration at managing to bring in the General of the First Order that you and your crew not only underestimated our firepower, but also forgot the most basic of regulations when taking in a prisoner. You check them for any communication device,” Hux stated, tilting his head as he held the other man’s stare. “Congratulations, Ben Solo. You’ve brought the war to your family. And if you don’t believe me...just wait.”

Ben’s face contorted in rage at the smugness of this self-important pretender to a dictatorship which wasn’t even yet in power.  Still, if what he said was true, they were in danger here.  But _was_ it true?  

Hux’s chair suddenly slid backward over the tiled floor, metal legs screeching, until it slammed into the wall behind him as Ben’s arm stretched forward. He slowly stalked around the table, keeping his darkened gaze firmly fixed on the ginger, who was bound to the chair, back pressed against the wall.  

“I’m growing tired of your games, General,” he snarled, voice low and dripping with poison.  “If you refuse to cooperate, then I’m forced to do what is necessary for the protection of my family.”  

He stepped closer, arm still outstretched, until his fingertips hovered inches from Hux’s forehead.  Darkening brown eyes focused sharply on jade as his fingers flexed.  “Tell me,” he said, almost in a whisper, as he began applying a steady pressure to the General’s skull.  “Tell me, or I’ll go in and take what I need to know, myself.”

The ginger’s lips parted in a gasp, then curled into a scowl - or, rather, a confused, but determined expression. He sealed them back together, feeling like he was coming down with a headache - like a migraine that he knew would hit by the end of the day. A choked sound was pulled from him as he shook his head. Trying to move and finding himself almost glued to the chair and the wall by Ben’s fingers, the General could only go where the Force-user’s fingers guided him.

“The First Order...will not...bow to you,” Hux hissed, trembling slightly from the odd sensation. “Do...your worst...Solo. My fleet...will burn you all to the ground.”

Ben’s expression hardened further and the faintest twist of his wrist signalled an increase in the pressure around Hux’s skull.  “Where is the tracking device?”

A broken noise acted as the ginger’s response, his eyes widening as his mind flashed through all of his training. All of the time he’d spent with his mentor and all the types of torture that he had learned to deal with, but this...this was in his mind. This wasn’t something that he could get away from, this wasn’t something that he could dissociate from. He was stuck, there, in that moment of sudden pain.

“Tick...tock…”

Ben’s lip curled in a snarl of pure rage as his patience - whatever little there had been left - quickly evaporated into thin air.  Gritting his teeth, he did the only thing that was left for him to do.  His outstretched hand began to quiver as he knit his brow, and focused all his Force energy into penetrating the defenses of the General’s mind.  

It was not an easy task.  This man, despite his youth, had endured unthinkable traumas and training, the likes of nothing Ben had ever even imagined.  He had built his mental walls tall and thick, and it was like chiseling away at a boulder to get anywhere near the thoughts he had locked away.  This part, he knew, would be painful - like drilling a hole in someone’s head - but his fury had become so all-consuming that he no longer cared.

“Where...is it?” he repeated.

It felt like a hot blade was suddenly shoved into the ginger’s head, twisting and carving out his skull without any hope for an end. His head was snapped back against the wall, and that seemed to loosen his tongue as he suddenly screamed, writhing now, as pain burned through him, consuming him from the inside out as the man before him forced his way into his mind. He kicked out slightly as the invisible bonds lessened around his body as Ben focused on tearing his mind to pieces.

Behind the two-way window, Leia covered her mouth with one hand, watching the interaction with growing horror as the young General cried out in agony and struggled against her son’s power. It only took her a moment more to turn to a few men at her side.

“Get General Hux out of there. Now.”

The soldiers moved, breaking down the door to the interrogation room. They struggled against the Force’s hold on the ginger for a few moments before the coils holding him in place faded away - broken by another power. They dragged Hux out by the arms, wrists still bound and screams still being torn from him.

Black, the ginger decided. Ben Solo’s eyes had been black.

“No!” Ben shouted after the soldiers, as they dragged Hux from the room.  He was barely in control of his own power at that point, driven by rage and passion and hatred.  His hands were clenched and he began making strides toward the interrogation room door when he was abruptly met with a figure standing in his way.  “Move!” he shouted, not even looking at who it was.  

It was only when Ben heard the voice of his mother that he finally snapped out of his rage-induced trance.  

“Ben.  Stop this.”

He froze, looking down at her in confusion.  He was suddenly lost and bewildered, unsure what had just happened - what _he_ had done.  “I…” he began, but shook his head.  Everything was a blur.  

Hux’s scream cut through all the yells of the soldiers, pained and panicked as he fought against the fingers clawing in his mind. The men around him stared at Ben with fear in their eyes. Thoughts flickered through their minds, projected, though they didn’t mean for them to be.

‘Monster.’

‘Is that what he can do?’

‘What kind of a man does that?’

‘Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop.’ That thought came from Hux as he arched out of the soldiers’ hold, falling to the ground. ‘Badge. Insignia. Tracker. Stop. Stop. Stop.’

“Ben! Let him go!” Leia demanded.

Brown robes danced on the ground beside Hux’s eyes and, suddenly, his world went black as he slumped into unconsciousness, a different, calmer energy wrapping around him and pulling out the dark claws in his mind.

Luke waited until the ginger’s face smoothed out in sleep before turning his eyes to Ben.

Something shifted inside Ben, and he was suddenly aware of everything going on around him.  He dropped his grip on the General, glancing between his mother and his mentor.  Thoughts, feelings, and urges crashed around him, coming from everyone present, as well as from within himself.  He knew he’d crossed a line - knew there would be repercussions from his actions, but he refused to acknowledge that at the moment.  Instead, he fixed his mother with a fiery gaze and said, “The tracker is in his badge.”

With a look from the woman, one of the soldiers carefully knelt down, pulling apart Hux’s badge and quickly taking a small device from it, walking over to Leia with it in between his fingers. Handing it to her, the Rebel made a large arch around Ben as he moved back to his spot beside the prone body.

“Take him to Medbay,” Organa stated, watching as one of the bigger men lifted Hux from the ground, arms under his knees and shoulders as everyone moved around the family - cautious and suspicious gazes sent in Ben’s direction as the hallway cleared. Leia turned an exasperated look toward Luke, silently asking the man to say something to his student.

The man sighed, moving closer to his nephew. “Ben, you have to learn to balance your power. Control your emotion. You have great power. Don’t abuse it.” Luke paused for a moment to place a hand on the man’s shoulder. “You did well - you got our answer, but at what cost? Giving in to your hate and anger like that lets the darkside into your heart. You give yourself away. You lose your own power to yourself.”

“Luke,” Leia started, giving her brother a look.

The Jedi nodded slightly. “Ben, I know that you hear the way that the Force cries out when you use it as such. It fights you and while you are strong enough to make it do what you want, it is not the way of the Force. Control, Ben. Control. Or that happens.” He gestured behind him at the man - the fire spirit of the First Order - being carried away.

Ben grimaced at the rebuke, embarrassed and frustrated, but also angry.

“You said it yourself, Uncle. We got the answer we needed. What does it matter to you what it cost me?  He provoked me, he threatened all of us. He deserved the pain I inflicted and worse!”  He shrugged off Luke’s hand on his shoulder and took a step backward.

“You think you know so much about the Force, but what if you're wrong? What if it’s possible to balance both dark and light? What if the dark side could be harnessed and brought into submission? Wouldn't that be worthwhile?  Uncle, there are times that we must do bad things for the greater good.”

He shook his head in frustration. “You have no idea what I'm capable of.”

***

Silver eyes fluttered open, breath puffing against an oxygen mask as the ginger slowly came to. Everything was foggy, muted - even the beeps of the machines he was hooked up to sounded far away. When he blinked again, he could finally move his head and watch as people moved in slow motion - blurs of colors following them around as voices echoed and bounced around him.

Drugged. He had been drugged.

Vision finally focusing on the IVs that were stuck into his arm, Hux started to move his hand to remove them, but the movement stopped short with a metallic clattering sound. He tried to move his feet and other arm and found himself pinned - movement restricted to just enough that he wasn’t screwed into position. Think...he had to…

The next time he woke up, it was dark, but he was more aware, now. He shuffled around, contorting his body until his cuffed hand could pull down the mask covering his nose and mouth. Taking the IV tubes between his teeth - but careful not to puncture them - the General took a steadying breath, readying himself before he jerked his head and pulled the needles from his skin.

Maker, that stung!

But it wasn’t like the pain he had felt earlier. With the man’s grasp in his head and the knife twisting inside his mind and the agony that ripped through him as he was torn apart from the inside out. He had never felt anything like that before, had never had any kind of defense against a Force-user who could waltz into his head.

Whatever kind of monster Ben Solo was, Hux decided to drag him out of the shadows and twist him into something that no one would recognize.

In his own room, Ben lay on his bed, staring at a crack in the ceiling that he'd never noticed before. At least, his eyes were fixed on it, but his mind was far away. He was thinking about the First Order General, and about what had happened that day.  

After having been scolded like a child for his behavior in the interrogation room, Ben had stormed out of the base and spent the rest of the afternoon in the wooded area to the south of the compound. It had been peaceful and cool, and he had tried to meditate, but with little success. Now, he was back in his room, staring at that blasted crack in his ceiling.

His mind wandered back to Hux. The man had an uncanny ability to get under Ben's skin and fester there, like a bot fly.  He was self-righteous, obnoxious and unyielding, yet there was something about him that fascinated the Force user.  He blinked, rubbing his eyes. Probably, he was just tired. That must be it.  With a sigh, Ben rolled onto his side, and closed his eyes.

Meanwhile, the ginger in question had been escorted back to his cell, his wrists bound once again and one forearm bandaged where he had pulled out the IV. He was groggy, feet stumbling as the drugs still ruled over his system. Whether they had been ordered to do so or not, the guards treated Hux more gently, their grips more supportive than bruising now. They were still cautious and contemptuous toward him, of course, but almost apologetic. As if the torture that he endured at the hands of their second-in-command was something that even they looked down upon and--

Oh.

They were all afraid of him, weren't they? Condescending and fearful of his powers. Hux scoffed softly. He knew what Ben could do, now, but that did not intimidate him, just challenged him. This was war. Bloody war, and whatever advantage a side could get, they should take it. Mold it. Wield it. Burn it as a weapon against enemies.

'Like how we will set fire to the stars,' the General told himself - reassured himself that they still had power, even if Ben Solo stood against them. Idly, he wondered if the man was close enough to read that thought and he quickly switched his train of pondering.

***

That night, Ben dreamed of General Hux. In his dream, the ginger was back in the interrogation room, but, rather than sitting in a chair, he was strapped to the table, on his back, arms and legs spread and tethered.  Ben entered the room and circled the table, looking down at Hux as he tried to squirm free of his bonds.

"Don't fight, General," Ben said softly, reaching out to lightly trace the length of Hux's left leg, from his ankle to his hip as he continued to circle the prone man.  His pulse quickened at the feeling of the ginger's muscles tensing under his touch. "This doesn't have to be unpleasant for you," he purred. "All you need to do is cooperate. You can do that, can't you?"

***

In his cell, Hux murmured in his sleep - the blackness of his unconsciousness interrupted by images. By a dream or, rather fragments of a dream, that felt too real. He could feel metal biting into his wrists and ankles, could feel a human touch tracing up his side. But then everything went back to darkness, the General consumed by the medication, the healing of his mind, and the trickery of his dreams. Goosebumps rose on his skin.

Ben's dream shifted, and the General, while still strapped down, was now upright, so that they were eye to eye.  Ben stepped up in front of him, eyes dark with anger, hatred, and...something else.

"Stubborn as ever, I see," he sneered, moving close enough that they could feel one another's breath. "I made you scream earlier today," he said in a near whisper. "I'm going to do it again. But not in pain. Or at least, not _that_ kind of pain."  

Ben took a step backward, but kept his gaze locked on the cool green eyes of the General, and a smirk firmly fixed on his face.  Slowly, he allowed his eyes to roam down the length of Hux's body, biting his lip. They snapped back up to his face just as his hands shot out and ripped his uniform top open, exposing his bare chest beneath.

"Mm.." He hummed, stretching out a hand to trail his fingers lightly over the smooth, pale skin. "By the time I'm done, your skin will not look so pristine."  His fingers continued downward over his belly button to his waist, hovering there at his belt buckle.

"Tell me about your weapon," he said.

Hux struggled to fight away the images flashing in his mind - all the touches and the warm breath mingling with his own. Failing, his dream-eyes blinked, and he suddenly found himself strapped to the interrogation table, staring into dark eyes that sent shivers down the length of his body. Cold air played against his chest as his uniform hung in tatters on his shoulders.

"You will get nothing from me," the ginger snapped, curling his lip as he locked gazes with the other man, jade orbs swirling with anger and hate and something that set a fire inside of them that had nothing to do with either of those emotions. "Our weapon is something that you'll never be able to touch, Scum."

Even as he spoke, Hux could feel something changing between them - something that was almost subtle, like the air conditioning clicking on or off. Pulling against the metal holding him in place, the General leaned as far forward as he could, tilting his head as he did so. "Do your worst, Mr. Solo, for I will give you nothing, but I will burn you from the sky."

What was that heat flickering inside of him? That tingle spreading through him? What was--

"Get out of my head."

Ben's lip curled menacingly, revealing pearly white teeth set in a snarl.  "We'll see," he growled, unbuckling Hux's belt and ripping it from its loops. He took a step backward, folding the leather belt in half and smacking it lightly across the palm of his own hand as he smirked at Hux.

"Where would you like your first mark, then, General?  We may need to adjust your position slightly."  He reached out to lightly run the folded leather over the General's chest, up to his shoulder and down one arm before pulling away entirely.

He laughed darkly, setting the belt down in favor of using his hands to roughly pull open Hux's pants, just as he had torn open his top earlier, and firmly yanked them downward, leaving the General completely exposed.

Once more, Ben stepped forward and with one swift move, had palmed Hux's genitals.  "Tell me about your weapon," he repeated.

Hux took in a stuttering breath, eyes widening and then hardening. He glared at Ben, hearing only the pounding of his heart for a few long seconds. He trembled, eyes closing suddenly as he snarled, a blush flashing over his cheeks for a moment as his anger showed on his features.

The world suddenly shifted around again and when jade eyes showed themselves once more, the General’s position had changed once more. Laying flat once more, his arms were stretched above his head, locked down against the metal table. The restraints on his ankles were connected to short chains, now, giving him a small range of motion. The fabric off his pants were gone, boxers nowhere to be found as the taller man paced around him once more.

Hux tried to close his legs, but found that he wasn't quite able to. "My weapon is not your concern, though it's ready to fire," the ginger snapped.

Ben shrugged, once again circling the table where Hux lay, restrained and naked.  When he rounded the table, he halted at the General's feet, hungry eyes again scanning his now-bared body.  The General was completely exposed - perfectly vulnerable - and Ben ran through a list of the things he could do to that body - the pain he could evoke.  Or the pleasure.  There was more than one way to make a man talk.

A moment later, Ben - still fully clothed - was on the table, hovering over Hux’s prone form. His black eyes gazed down on the ginger, and he licked his lips, lowering his face to within inches of the General’s and taking his lower lip between his teeth.  He bit down until he could taste the metallic tang of blood before pulling back and releasing Hux’s lip.  "There's still time for you to talk to me,” Ben said softly, eyes flitting down to the drop of blood beading on Hux’s lip before rising to meet his green eyed gaze.  “I can make you feel things you've never felt before,” he purred.  “It's up to you whether those are pleasant feelings, or... not so pleasant.”

Ben blinked, and in that moment, the entire scene around him changed. Hux's wrists were still bound, but he was cuffed to the headboard of a large bed. Satin fabric shimmered beneath and around him, as rose petals fluttered down from some unknown source.

Looking down at his own body, Ben was alarmed to find that he was now completely nude as well. He looked up at Hux with confusion in his eyes. He blinked again, and suddenly their bodies were pressed together, legs tangled up, hips rutting against one another, and Ben's lips trailing all over the ginger's upper body.

Hux’s back arched under the press of hips and skin, pleasure running up and down his lithe body. His mind tried to keep up - tried to figure out when they had gotten to this point, but the dream overrode his logic, pushing him into the moment and out of his mind. Hux gasped as Ben's lips brushed over a nipple, lingering there for a few moments.

And that was it, that was the final shove that had the General falling completely into his fantasy as he jerked on the chains holding his arms, forgetting they were there until jade eyes gazed up at them and his heated skin suddenly felt the cold of the metal. Long legs fell open for the taller man - not manipulated by the Force like his mind or chair had been earlier, but completely on their own accord.

But this wasn't how it was supposed to--

The thought was cut off by his own voice whimpering softly, pale lips parting in a broken sound, as he was pleasured by his captor. "Oh, Maker, Ben." Pressing their bodies as close as possible, Hux lost himself in sensation, rolling his hips upward before tilting his head in a request for a kiss. "Please..."

‘Please?’ Had he heard that right?  This was supposed to be an interrogation. Not like this. But when Ben looked down, he saw that he was hard as a rock, and without even realizing it, he was lining himself up with the General's opening.  A brief thought flickered through his mind - they needed lubrication - he needed to...

But then, suddenly, he was inside, eyes squeezed closed in pleasure as he slammed into the other man again and again, and their lips were locked in a passionate kiss.

"Hux..." He groaned, opening his eyes to look down at him.  "You belong to _me_ , now," he heard himself saying, hips still moving in quick, hard thrusts. He leaned down to begin sucking a large bruise on the General's neck, high enough that he couldn't possibly cover it up.  

Good. Everyone should know that it was he, Ben Solo, who had broken the steadfast ginger.  He pulled back, and again the scene changed. They were back in Ben's old room, tangled up in one another, stroking each other's hair and gazing into each other's eyes, as though it was the most natural thing is the world.  As if they belonged together - as if they always had...

***

Hux jerked awake with enough force to topple him to the ground, falling off the mangy cot that his cell was furnished with. Those images haunting his mind felt so real - so much less like a dream and more like a memory of things that never were. It was the drugs. It was the exhaustion. It was the stress of the whole situation and the violation of his mind that occurred earlier.

Hux was not attracted to Ben Solo, and the concept of having an erotic fantasy about the man made his skin crawl. Made him shiver in something that might not only be disgust. Made him yell out where he lay on the floor. Jade eyes closed and blinked back open. It was nothing. It was just a dream and the cold stone of his cell drawing the heat away from his body proved that this - not the images in his mind - was reality.

Sighing heavily, the ginger pushed himself off the floor with his bound hands, pacing around the small room in unending circles as he did his best to bring up his defenses once more. To steel himself and become the elemental that so many people believed he was - that inhuman being of fire that scorched all in its path and left nothing but ashes in its wake.

Soon enough, that would be very, very true.

When the door next opened, a man entered with curly hair, dark eyes, and a smirk that Hux wanted to burn off his face. The ginger picked up every piece of information he could about the man and still came to the conclusion that he hated him.

"General Hux. You don't seem so untouchable, now."

"Yet you're still keeping your distance. Hide under your cockiness all you want, your eyes betray you, Mister..?"

"Commander Dameron," the man answered. "I'm--"

"Largely unknown to the First Order and to me. No, stop. I never said I wanted to get to know you, either. Worthless information and small talk really don't pique my interest."

"Keep in mind that it was all of us worthless soldiers who--" Something flashed in Poe's eyes. Some blend of anger and the want to retort mixed with trepidation and the fear of what might happen if he did. So even the scum were scared of him - believed at least some of the rumors. "You've been requested by General Organa."


	3. Fire knows Fire

Ben had spent the morning trying to dispel the erotic images of his previous night’s dream from his mind. Why would he have dreamt such a thing about General Hux, of all people? Just the previous day, he had wanted to murder the man. A few more minutes in his head and he may have done just that. He certainly felt no  _ affection _ for the First Order General. 

Still, the images persisted. Even more disturbing was that he found his body reacting to them in a way that made him blush.  After he'd finished his breakfast, Ben made his way to the meeting he'd been requested - no, demanded - to attend. He wasn't sure exactly what would be happening, but he'd have been willing to bet it had something to do with the infuriating redhead. 

He needed to stop thinking about that dream. 

The room in which the impromptu meeting was held was large - a conference table sitting in the middle of it with a speaker-communicator sitting in the middle of the table. General Organa stood at one end of the room, hands on the tabletop and leaned forward slightly in a stance of frustrated indignation. Beside her stood her brother, arms crossed and attention focused on a random point on the wall.

Hux wasn’t asked anything, so he deemed to stay silent as he was guided to the opposite side of the table and bid to sit in the chair, there. The Resistance soldiers moved around the room silently, waiting, it would seem, for any sort of signal to act. To move. To do anything other than watch the ginger as though he held the key to their struggles. The officer, Dameron, kept annoyingly close to Hux, as though the General would be able to fight off everyone in the room with his hands bound and body still recovering from his stint in the medical wing.

Jade eyes sent a fiery glare his way, watching as those dark eyes dropped away from his gaze. Good. He was a Commander. He should know his place when a General was present.

A moment later, the doors opened once again, revealing the Scum Prince. The ginger swallowed and glanced away, dreams still too fresh on his mind.

Ben walked into the room and surveyed the scene, taking in all those present.  He walked directly to where his mother and uncle stood and took his place beside them.  When his gaze met that of the General, his heart lurched into his throat, and the flood of images returned.  He squeezed his eyes closed and pointedly turned his face away, pinching the bridge of his nose.  

After a moment, though, he thought he could sense…  _ something _ coming from Hux, himself.  An uneasiness.  Well, of course he’s uneasy.  He probably thinks he’s about to be sentenced to death.  Only a fool would be completely calm for that.  And yet…

Ben opened his eyes again, but still found that he could not allow his gaze to linger on the fiery haired General.  His eyes bounced to those of the Commander standing behind him and he sighed.  Of course, that buffoon would be here.  He shot his mother an irritated look.  

[Did you  _ have _ to bring Dameron in on this, Mother?] he projected silently to her.  They often communicated in this way, through the Force.  It was an incredibly intimate method of communication, and came in very handy in situations such as this one.  Leia glared back at him, and he shrank back, slightly.  She was obviously still upset about the ‘incident’ yesterday.  Once more, Ben was overwhelmed with the feeling of disapproval.  He could never really measure up.  He could never fully fit in.  [Sorry] he sent, and remained silent, waiting for the meeting to begin.  

“We’ve just gotten word that our secondary base was attacked and overcome by the First Order,” Leia address everyone in the room, her eyes gazing around and meeting everyone’s before falling on the General, himself. “The transmission we received declared that this base was next and would be destroyed by the Super Star Destroyer  _ Finalizer  _ unless it was made evident that General Hux was alive and well. Only then could negotiations happen between us.”

“Negotiations?” Dameron snapped, clucking his tongue at the idea. “We can’t let ‘em intimidate us like this. Let my squad go up there an’ light ‘em up, General, and we’ll see who--”

“Do you really think that a makeshift fleet of broken toy soldiers could even make a dent in my armies? You could destroy the  _ Finalizer  _ \- you won’t, but hypothetically - and you would do nothing to the First Order,” the ginger snapped, already annoyed with the cocky pilot hovering around him like a camper would a fire.

Organa held up a hand, silencing the room. “And, tell us, General Hux, what would happen if we were to suddenly prepare for a battle.”

“You would be fired upon. With or without me being on location. We have you cornered.”

“Unless we escape. Abandon this base and go to our next one.” The elder woman stated, turning once more to talk to the masses. “We’ve gotten out of worse situations than this, but we must tread lightly.”

Ben turned to regard his mother.  He had seen her in action before, and he had to admit that she was impressive under fire.  She never batted an eye, and made command decisions quickly and efficiently.  Negotiating with the First Order did not seem like a practical move to him, but he knew better than to argue the matter with her here - especially when he knew she was already angry with him over his apparent loss of control the day before.  

He sighed and shook his head.  “What would we have to do to prove that the General is alive and well?  Send a holotransmission?”  

Leia glanced over to her son, concern in her eyes that was hidden under confidence and leadership - that emotion swirling in chocolate orbs in a way that only her family could notice. She was worried. What they were about to do was a shot in the dark, for they needed to distract the entire First Order fleet that was upon them. Turn their attention toward the comm-link that they would hold instead of the ships fleeing from the planet.

“We will be calling them directly, setting up a live transmission.” The woman glanced to her side, where Luke waved a hand toward the ginger, who almost instantly fell limp in his chair, unconsciousness taking over his slight frame as Organa continued. “While we talk to the officers of the Finalizer, Commander Dameron and his squad will lead everyone from the compound. They will have TIEs orbiting, so you must be prepared for a fight. We’ll hold their attention, here, for as long as possible and use General Hux as a bargaining chip.” A pause. “Any questions?”

Ben glanced over at the General, head slumped with his chin on his chest.  For the first time since he had captured Hux, Ben allowed himself to truly look at him.  He shuddered as a fresh wave of images from his dream hit him, and he suddenly felt an odd curiosity about whether the General looked the same as he had in the dream, without his uniform on.  

Holy Maker, he needed to get a grip on himself! Ben turned his attention back to his mother.  “And if they refuse to make that bargain?  What happens then?  Do you actually intend to release him?”  

“No.” The answer was swift as Leia spoke. “It would be too dangerous to allow him to go back to the Finalizer. Besides that, he is more valuable to us than any informant we could ever recruit. He’s Snoke’s right hand man.  It’s why we haven’t been attacked, yet. He’s more important to the First Order than anyone that we’ve been able to locate and identify.” She finally moved away from the table. “Once the negotiations are made, there should only be the people in this room left. We’ll have a short time to leave and barely an opening to get out, but Luke is a skilled pilot and we’ll manage.”

“ _ Luke _ is… What about me?” Ben protested, anger rising in him again.  It was not a matter of arrogance.  It was simply a known fact that Ben was one of the most skilled pilots in the galaxy.  “Fine.  Whatever.”  He waved it away, sensing the need for action.  “So what you’re saying is that we are abandoning this base for lost.  We’re allowing the First Order to come in and decimate it, just like that, while we scatter like cockroaches?  And where will we go?  What location could possibly be safe, as long as we’re holding General Hux?”

Ben sighed, already wearied by all this.  He hated the plan.  Hated running.  Hated surrender.  Besides that, he wasn’t at all sure that this plan would work.  He shook his head again with a sigh and said, “When do we make the call?”

“We’ll make the call as soon as Poe’s squad is ready. Our next location is in the Outer Rim on D’Qar. There’s a base, there. It hasn’t been in use for years, but it’s a place for us to go and regroup,” Leia answered both questions at once, praying to the Force that everything would turn out alright in the end. “Commander.”

Dameron nodded and made a gesture for his team to follow him, leaving the Skywalker family alone with the prisoner to discuss anything else that needed to be. 

“You will be acting as copilot, Ben,” his mother murmured, turning to face her son. “I need you to help us with General Hux. You know that he won’t go with us willingly. I need you to do this for me. Please, Ben.”

Ben made a show of rolling his eyes dramatically, but he agreed.  “Of course,” he said dryly, glancing back over at the unconscious General.  “Do we have a backup plan, if something goes wrong?”   He needn’t have asked the question, though.  He knew there was no Plan B.  This  _ had _ to go off without a hitch or they were all as good as dead.  

“I may need to use the Force to make him cooperate,” he said, but then shot a look at Luke.  “Though it appears that it’s acceptable for  _ some _ of us.”  

“Ben.” Leia’s voice was stern as she sent a look at her son. “Once you know how to control the Force completely, I will be more comfortable with you using it. Until then…” She let that sentence hang, sighing as she moved to take a seat while they waited for the signal to begin.

Ben trudged around the table to stand behind General Hux.  Just being close to him sent chills down Ben’s spine, and he had to stifle a visible shudder.  He took a step backward to lean against the wall, and waited.  

The minutes seemed to stretch into hours as they awaited the signal from Poe and his fleet, and Ben was becoming more and more uncomfortable by the moment.   _ Finally _ , the comm link lit up and they heard the voice of the pilot crackle to life.  

“All clear, General,” came the transmission.  “We’re ready when you are.”  

Ben glanced from his mother to his uncle, down at the General and back to Leia again.  He gave a nod that he was ready, and waited for Luke to lift the Force sleep.  

Hux awoke slowly, a sneer spreading onto his lips as he lifted his head. “It’s not nice, General Organa to knock out the people you invite to the party. Some might see it as inappropriate use of the Force, but…” Jade eyes glanced around until they landed on Ben. “You seem to know all about that.”

It only occurred to the ginger after his taunt that the room had been cleared. Leaving him alone with the few people who wielded that invisible power. Something was happening, then.

“My apologies, General Hux. We’re about to send a transmission to your ship and your cooperation is necessary if you’d like to return to your post,” Leia stated, her voice level as the redhead glanced around between the three of them, calculations and strategies dancing across his silver-green orbs. “We cannot fight the First Order any longer.”

“I could have told you that,” Hux hissed. “But…” He cocked his head, trying to riddle out what had changed with the information he knew before his forced sleep and now that he was roused once more. “Make the call. If you want to surrender, then we’ll accept that.”

Without another word, the transmission was opened.

“Finalizer,” the voice on the other end crackled to life. “Resistance Scum, where is our General?”

Ben’s gaze flickered from his mother to the First Order General, wondering who would answer the transmission first.  Already, he could feel rage coiling in his belly, and he suddenly had a strong sense that this course of events was not going to go as planned.  But, it was too late to stop it now, no matter how badly he might want to.  He made eye contact with his mother and held her gaze for a moment, and instantly he knew that she felt it too.  

“This is General Organa. General Hux is here with us.”

“General?”

“Lieutenant Mitaka.”

There were a few murmurs on the other end of the line as the officers of the Finalizer spoke in hushed tones before coming back online. “Are you well, General Hux?”

“Define well,” the ginger sassed in return before Ben took a slight step toward him. “I am safe. Alive.”

“And in one piece,” Leia added. “Now, as much as I hate to cut in, this is a negotiation and Hux is our prisoner, and thus has no rights, here. We’re speaking directly to the--”

“How’s the weather, Sir?” The transmitted voice crackled, getting the ginger’s attention instantly, jade eyes narrowing as he listened to the message. “We passed Hosnian awhile back, but we’re still hot, here.”

Ben tensed, immediately knowing that something was not right.  “Don’t answer that,” he shot to Hux, but even as he said it, he knew the General would not have even heard him, let alone care what he’d said.  He sent a desperate look to his mother, silently begging her to step in.  Whatever this message was, it could not mean anything good for them.  It was no good, however.  Before anything further could be spoken or done, General Hux had answered.

“Fire.”

The order was carried out almost instantly, yells echoing over the transmission as they were called down the line. Hux sent a smirk over to Ben - the look in his eyes full of mocking intent as a low sound was heard over the commlink. A groan, a rumble that was earth-deep, the final cry of a dying sun as it was harnessed and turned into something so much more devastating. Turning his gaze toward the little window in the conference room, the General watched as streaks of red blazed through the sky, splitting outward and hitting their targets, one by one.

“Get him out of here!” Leia demanded, knowing what was coming next as an entire star system ceased to exist in only a blink of an eye.

“Burn this place to the ground, Mitaka!” Hux yelled as he was suddenly jerked up from his seat by the Scum Prince.

Ben was nearly dazed by several things happening all at once.  His mother’s words were almost drowned out by the sounds around them and by the humming in his own mind that was growing stronger by the second as confusion and clarity clashed like oil and water.  

The young Force user grabbed Hux by the elbow and yanked him from his chair, nearly wrenching his shoulder out of its socket with the force of it.  Casting a final worried glance back at his mother, he did the only thing he knew to do, rendering the General unconscious and flinging him over his shoulder to rush from the room and out of the compound.  

He made his way, in a near sprint, to the nearest shuttle he could pilot without help.  He boarded quickly, dropping the General in an unceremonious heap at the rear of the cockpit, still unconscious, and with lightning speed, initiated all the preparations for lift off.  His head swam with thoughts, worries, emotions and reflexes as he guided the shuttle off the planet’s surface to the safety of open space.  

Ben knew the secret rendez-vous point.  All he needed to do was get the General there safely and quickly, and his mother and uncle would join them as quickly as they could.  He knew they were still alive - could sense their energy signatures, with great relief.  It was just a matter of time until they would catch up.  

It was only after he had safely made the jump to hyperspace that Ben finally turned his attention to the General.  He cringed at the awkward position he had dropped the ginger into...Not that he didn’t deserve a crick in his neck.  Standing from his pilot’s chair, Ben walked over to Hux’s limp form and hovered over him for a moment.  He  _ could _ leave him unconscious for the rest of the journey, but something inside him whispered that maybe Hux would be more useful to him awake.   

Ben crouched down, leaning on his haunches and staring hard at the General before finally taking a deep breath and releasing the sleep he had imposed on him.  

The ginger’s slow climb out of his slumber came with sore muscles and a throbbing in his head. His eyes opened, closed, and opened once more - entirely unfocused for a few moments before he blinked once, twice, and gazed around the shuttle. Not the First Order, but not the Resistance base either. Jade flicked up to finally settle on Ben, his heart flipping in his chest when he realized how close they were, again. 

With a grimace as his sore muscles and the joints that he had been laying on wrong, the General steadied himself with his cuffed hands as he sat up against the wall behind him. “You wanted to know about our weapon, Ben Solo. Now you’ve seen it.”

Ben tilted his head slightly, genuinely impressed that the General could go from unconscious to pure snark in a matter of seconds.  He stood to his feet, looking down on Hux as though the difference in altitude could somehow shift the dynamic in his favor.  

“And what purpose did it serve, General?  You have destroyed...how many planets?  How many millions of lives have been snuffed out?  And why?  So that the great General Hux could make a point?”  He snorted derisively and shook his head.  “I can’t decide whether to be impressed or completely disgusted.  Possibly, both.”  

Ben gestured toward the bench that was bolted to the wall before stepping forward and grabbing Hux by the elbow once more, lifting him to his feet and shoving him toward the bench.  “Sit there,” he said, “and don’t even think about doing anything stupid.”  

Stumbling from the push, the ginger glanced back over his shoulder, debating declining the order and finding his own place of rest whenever he wanted. A slight tingle in his head, however, told him not to push his luck. He moved over to the bench, sitting down and instantly curling his lip at how uncomfortable it was.

“Five planets,” Hux stated as he glanced back over to where his captor was. “We destroyed the Republic in one attack. And if you think that your petty Resistance will be able to hide from our might forever, then you’re crazier than your entire base thinks you are.” He shrugged, untouchable facade back in place. “All’s fair in love and war, Ben Solo.”

Ben sneered back at him, unwilling to be baited by Hux’s jabs.  “I seriously doubt you know  _ anything _ about love, General Hux,” he retorted.  “As for war, well I suppose you do know a thing or two about that.”  He walked over to the bench where Hux had settled and paused for a moment, staring down at him, before turning and sitting on the bench next to him.  

He was sure of it, now, beyond the shadow of a doubt.  Ben’s proximity to the General was directly proportional to the level of anxiety Hux was putting off.  He almost laughed at the notion, considering that  _ he _ had been the one to have had that disconcerting dream.  But, then, he  _ had _ been the one to attack Hux and land him in the medical wing back on the base, so it was understandable to some degree.  Rather than dwell on this, Ben began talking again.

“So, General, bravo.  You’ve successfully destroyed an entire star system and, presumably, destroyed the Resistance Base we just came from.  What’s your next move?  Do you plan to destroy the entire galaxy to be Emperor over a black hole?  Enlighten me, please.”  

“Mock all you want, Mr. Solo. Of the two of us, only one is on a leash,” Hux snapped, trying to fight away any of the images that still lingered in his mind of the dream he’d fallen into last night. “My route to order may cause a bit of organized chaos as we go, but I can pull the trigger without asking for permission. I don’t have to smother my potential. People respect me just as much as they fear me. Can the same be said for you? Would your entire fleet go after you if you were taken hostage?”

Ben stared at him for a moment, pondering the question.  He knew that Hux was just trying to get under his skin, and yet he had to wonder.  Would they?  Would Leia, even?  Yes, he was sure that his mother would go after him.  But the rest of the Resistance...he wasn’t so sure.  He knew better than anyone else the way they looked at him - the way they shrank back in fear or revulsion whenever he walked by.  Might they not be glad to be rid of him, if he were taken hostage? 

Ben leveled Hux with an icy gaze.  “I wonder, General Hux, whether your men respect you as well as you think they do.  But no matter.  If you think you are going to endear yourself to me by mocking me, you are sorely mistaken.”  Mostly for curiosity’s sake, Ben let his legs relax, leaning one thigh against Hux’s.  Looking down at their legs next to each other, it struck him how much smaller the other man was.  He was nearly as tall as Ben, but in bone and muscular structure, he was much finer, and he suddenly had the bizarre urge to reach down and see how far his fingers would reach if he were to wrap them around the General’s thigh.  What an incredibly absurd thought.   He pulled his leg inward again, placing space between them once more.  

The ginger fought the urge to pull his leg away or to shiver when they came into contact. He pursed his lips, berating and snapping at himself to collect himself once more. It didn’t matter, now, if their weapon was a success. He was still a prisoner, and he intended to act accordingly until he either found his death or his way back to his post. Still, he couldn’t stop the little wonders that flitted into his mind, the way that his curiosity piqued when he pondered whether the Force user would feel the same in real life as he did in the dream - would those hands be gentler? Harsher? Would each touch be punishing or praising?

“My men,” the General suddenly stated, despite knowing that their conversation had more or less ended already. “Are highly trained. Programmed from birth. Whether or not they respect me as much as I  _ know _ they do, they are loyal to a fault. They would come after me, even if it meant certain death. There is nowhere in this galaxy that you can hide that the First Order will not find you.” Hux made the mistake, then of turning his head to glare at the taller man, eyes widening and a blush pulling on his pale skin as he suddenly realized how close they were to one another.

Ben listened intently, watching Hux’s face as he spoke - the way his lips moved and the expressions that danced over his features.  He heard the words that Hux spoke, but they didn’t really mean anything.  When the ginger turned to look him in the face, Ben could immediately see his expression falter and the blush rise to his cheeks.  That was interesting.  It was almost as if…

A sudden thought occurred to him and it seemed to suck the breath right out of his lungs.  Was it possible that he had unconsciously projected parts of his dream to the other man?  It had happened before, though not for years.  

There had been times when Ben had been very young, that he’d had particularly violent or terrifying nightmares, and his unconscious mind had projected images and emotions from the dream to his mother, who had swooped in to comfort him before he’d even had a chance to wake up.  Was it possible that he had done that with Hux?  If he had… No.  There was no way.  It was unthinkable.  

Quickly looking away, Ben murmured, “So you have trained an army of drones.  You’d might just as well have a droid army, if they are so perfectly ‘programmed’ as all that.  What’s the point in having individual people if you’re going to just strip them of their individuality?  Why take the risk of them turning traitorous?”  

“People...People don’t turn traitorous in the Order,” Hux answered slowly, faltering in the start of his sentence. Truth be told, he was happy that Ben looked away, breaking the spell of - ‘So close, like the dream, lean in, kiss him, no one around’ - that was bewitching his mind as he stared deeply into eyes that were once more much more golden than they were dark.

“We are a...Have you ever wanted to fit in, Ben? Wanted to be a part of the bigger group? To not feel like an outcast? That’s what we want. We aim for uniformity and conformity under one order. The First Order in power would mean that everyone would be on the same level as everyone else. Perhaps that would stint individuality and make it harder to explore creativity, but it would mean that no one was alone.” Hux swallowed, pausing slightly before continuing in lower voice. “No one could call you a monster if all of us were on the same side.”

The General waited for a moment, considering his options and what he could say or do next. “Am I the first person you’ve met who’s not inherently afraid of you? Is there anyone else who sees you as less of a threat and more of a man who has more power than he knows what to do with?”

Ben absently chewed on the inside of his cheek as the General spoke.  His words were almost hypnotic, trying to lull him into a false sense of security, most likely.  And maybe, it was working.  Because, honestly, he had always wanted to fit in.  Especially when he’d been a child, he’d wanted more than anything to be like all the other little boys on the base.  He wanted what they all had - a stable family, where both parents were present, a group of friends, maybe even a little girlfriend.  But instead, what he got were parents who were rarely around, incredible passions and powers that constantly threatened to rip him apart at the seams, and a life of loneliness.

When he heard the words, ‘No one could call you a monster,’ Ben’s head snapped back to stare at Hux.   _ That _ was a little close to home, and the glare he shot at the General proclaimed it as such, loud and clear.  But then he’d gone on, and it gave Ben pause as he considered the question.   _ Had  _ he ever met anyone who had not been afraid of him?  He wasn’t sure.  Even his own parents seemed to be afraid of him - or of something inside of him.  His uncle, Luke, was too.  

Looking deeply into the icy green eyes of the General, Ben’s facade began to crack.  He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out, and he had the strangest desire to lunge forward and violently kiss the other man.  Foolish.  Ridiculous.  Insane.  All these words, and many others floated through Ben’s mind as he stared at Hux, transfixed.  They were sitting so close together.  It wouldn’t be far to go.  All he’d need to do was lean in just a few inches…

A loud beep alerted everyone in the shuttle that they were approaching their destination, ringing out like a siren in the near quiet of the cabin. Hux jerked back and away from the taller man, the sound bringing him back to himself like a cold bucket of water. The way they had almost…

Hux shook his head, swallowing around the knot in his throat, and straightened once more. His heart was beating faster than the ship was moving, images flashing before his eyes of the two of them tangled together, moving as one as cries of passion fell from their lips. Dangerous. Those were dangerous thoughts for the General to have and he shoved them away before he could begin to ponder how many colors were in Ben’s eyes and how his lashes were long and dark and slightly curled upward.

“Consider this, Mr. Solo,” the ginger added in a whisper - his voice nowhere near as confident as it normally was. “The First Order burns planets out of the sky while you burn your way into people’s mind. You grandfather once stood as a great monument to the darkside.” He paused. “Fire, Ben, knows fire.”

Ben stood abruptly and made his way to the pilot’s seat to look over the navigational readouts.  They were nearing their destination, so he began adjusting the controls to prepare for the jump from hyperspace.  As he keyed in the appropriate sequences, flipped switches and turned knobs automatically, his mind raced back to the man seated on the bench behind him.  

What had he been thinking?  Had he really almost  _ kissed _ the General of the First Order?  The idea  _ should _ have repulsed him.  And at first, it had.  But then another emotion had begun to flicker into existence, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.  Was it...excitement? Pride? Desire?  

Ben shook his head, willing away the thoughts fogging his mind.  This must all be part of the General’s plan - to try and cloud his judgement by messing with his head.  He couldn’t let Hux succeed in this.  Even if he was powerful...persuasive...attractive…

“We’ll be landing in a few minutes.  Get ready,” he shouted back at Hux, over his shoulder.  

What would they do when they arrived?  Leia and Luke surely wouldn’t have beaten them there.  He would have to lock Hux up and just wait for them to get there.  He couldn’t risk leaving him free, and he certainly shouldn’t risk further conversation with this skilled manipulator.  Still, even as he made these decisions in his mind, he couldn’t help playing the words over like a holorecording.  ‘Your grandfather stood as a monument to the Dark Side… Fire, Ben, knows Fire.’  

Moments later, they had entered the atmosphere of D’Qar and were landing on a wide open tarmac.  There was no one else there.  They were completely alone. 

Hux tried to steady himself as the shuttle jerked and rumbled - something that normally wouldn’t bother him, if he had the correct means to balance himself. Or if he had been paying attention to what was being said to him, but, really, what difference was there between one cell and another? They were both cages that he couldn’t escape and he enjoyed being alive too much to take any kind of rash means of exiting this capture.

But there was more than just that, now.

Part of him knew - despite his best efforts to shove any inkling of it away - that the same sorrowful tune that Ben seemed to sing harmonized with his own. He knew what it felt like to be isolated. Ostracized. He understood transitioning from being completely accepted and normal to being feared and seen as something that was metahuman. Something more. Something greater and more devastating than simply ‘human’.

After all, in a span of a few seconds, Hux had committed more murder in any war that had ever come over the galaxy. He dwarfed the Empire’s statistics and was now in a position that no one had faced before. The General had caused more war crimes than any court was prepared for - he had not only twisted the laws of the Republic, but he destroyed every shred of evidence that they ever existed.

And he was still cuffed and held prisoner by the people who would most want him to answer for his actions.

All’s fair.

“Are we planning on just...staying in a dusty old shuttle all day, Mr. Solo?”

Once all the procedures for powering down the engines had been completed, Ben pivoted in his seat to look at the General.  He was still seated on the bench, cool as a cucumber, if not slightly disheveled from a rocky landing.  

“No.  You will go to a holding cell, like the one you were in before, and I will go to my own room, which will doubtless be infinitely more comfortable than yours.”  

Ben stood to his feet and walked toward Hux, unsure of what he was planning to do.  He highly doubted the man would accept a hand up from the bench.  And for some reason he couldn’t quite explain, he felt strange about grabbing his arm and shoving him around like he had before.  Still, that was what he had to do.  He could not show weakness in front of this man.  Not even now.  He had to maintain an appearance of complete confidence and control.  After all, everything  _ would _ be ok.  His mother and uncle would arrive any minute, now, and take over for him.  

That idea should have brought him comfort.  He had summoned the thought for the purpose of reassuring himself, but the opposite had happened.  Yes, they would arrive, and once more, he would lose all control.  He would be made obsolete - overlooked, overruled, underestimated.  That was what they always did, wasn’t it?  

Doubt coiled in the pit of his stomach like a sleeping dragon, but he chose not to waken it.  Some things were better left undisturbed. 

The ginger struggled his way out of his captor’s grasp, turning suddenly to stand in front of him - piercing jade eyes as flaming as his hair as he glared at the taller man. In a moment, the General shifted into that spirit of fire that so many believed he was - heat taking over his expression, his curled lips, the way that his eyes never wavered. He stood as strong as a raging bonfire as he honed in on the taller man.

“Deny it all you want, but I know more than I let on. That anger inside of you? That wrath that you just barely hold back each day? The power that everyone around you fears? You are your grandfather, Ben Solo. Not your scum father. Not your mother. Not your uncle. There is too much Vader in you to be dumb enough to think otherwise.”

Hux turned then, head held high as he stalked his way toward the rundown base, boots clicking against the stone underneath him and bound wrists pulling at his restraints, though he knew that it was useless. He would not be free, here, but he’d be damned if he just rolled over and let everyone manhandle him. Walk over him. Treat him like anything less than the superior ranked officer that he was.

Above them, the stars still burned.


	4. I know you.

An hour had passed since Ben had escorted Hux to his holding cell and locked the door behind him.  He’d stood outside the room for several minutes, waiting - hoping, almost - that Hux would call out to him and ask for him to come back.  But he hadn’t.  There was only silence, and Ben had finally given up.  

Not wanting to wander far from the cell, though, Ben retreated into another holding cell down the hall.  He grimaced as he lay down on the hard bunk and stared at the ceiling.  His mother and uncle still hadn’t arrived, and he hadn’t been able to make contact with them through the Force  or through the use of their comm links.  He knew they were alive - he could sense it - but there was no communication.  The link held only static.  

And yet, his thoughts were far from silent.  Again and again, he had turned over the General’s words in his mind.  How had he known about Ben’s temper?  True, he’d witnessed it first-hand,  but it was more than that.  Anyone might have lost their cool under that kind of provocation.  Somehow, General Hux had seen through him.  

The idea was altogether unsettling.  Ben had always been the one to be able to see through people - to know their most private thoughts and feelings.  Perhaps Hux was only bluffing - drawing on what he knew of Ben’s lineage and the history of Darth Vader to bait him into giving something away.  It seemed unlikely.  What could Ben possibly have left to give away?  And the General was too shrewd a man to use up all his cards in one hand.  

Again, Ben’s thoughts drifted to the dream he’d had the night before.  Had it meant something?  And equally importantly, had Hux actually had the same dream?  Could that work toward explaining the subtle shift between them today?  

Leia had always been so careful and cautious about allowing Ben to become involved in a situation that would expose him to the Dark Side.  He’d heard those words a thousand times - “There’s too much Vader in him.”  He hated that expression on so many levels.  Even though Vader had been on the opposing side, he had still been a great man - incredibly powerful in the Force, and a formidable warrior.  Was it really such a bad thing to be like him?  After all, he was Ben’s grandfather.  Why shouldn’t he take after Vader? 

But then there was the insinuation that there was something wrong with him.  Supposing that being like Vader  _ was _ a bad thing, which everyone seemed to believe it was.  Then why did they continuously feel the need to point it out?  

Hux had said those same words, and yet, when they fell off the General’s lips, there was no negativity to them.  It was not an insult, coming from Hux.  It was a compliment.  

Ben sighed and rolled onto his side, facing the wall.  He needed to calm his mind.  Perhaps to meditate, or sleep.  Moments later, he was snoring softly.  

***

Hux paced in his cell, moving back and forth and side to side as his mind raged on and on. They had done it. They had destroyed the Republic and forced the Resistance to flee to wherever they were, now. Or at least any of them that had managed to get away from his fleet, and he doubted that there would be many survivors. He sighed, moving over to sit on his ‘bed’, lips sneering as he felt the unforgiving hardness of it.

It shifted his thoughts once more, as he laid down upon his back, feeling the metal beneath him.

His dream had started like this, and ever since those images appeared in his mind, he hadn’t been able to shake them. Couldn’t stop the way his body warmed slightly when Ben moved too close to him, and the fantasy-sensations crept back into his being, reminding him again and again of the events that had occurred, even just in his mind.

“Stop it,” he berated himself.

Pictures conjured by a drugged mind had no place in his current thoughts. He needed to get out, yes, but he knew that so long as his captor was a man who could read his mind and freeze him in place, any attempts would be useless, unless Ben Solo was incapacitated, or was the  _ reason _ that Hux could escape. In just a few seconds, he had destroyed five planets, but he was worthless in a fight against that man with eyes that changed color, and power that he couldn’t imagine.

The General wasn’t sure how much time had passed when his eyes finally closed, but he was asleep before he even realized that exhaustion had wrapped around him like a heavy blanket.

***

Ben awoke to utter darkness.  He hadn’t thought to power on the emergency lighting when they’d first arrived, in broad daylight.  But now, peering out the tiny barred window at the top of the wall next to him, all he saw was blackness, punctuated only by the flickering of stars and the still-smoldering remains of what had been the Hosnian System.  _ That _ observation snapped his mind back to the present.  

Hux.

Stirring from where he’d been lying, Ben sat up and stretched, his nerve endings registering the dull ache of muscles, stiff from lying on what amounted to a parasteel platform, bolted to the wall.  He groaned quietly, willing his eyes to adjust to the low light.  He could sense the General’s presence in the next cell.  Not that he had expected him to  _ not _ be there, but the realization made his skin prickle uncomfortably, as he remembered the events of the past few days.  

A fresh wave of anger surged through him.  This was all Hux’s fault.   _ All _ of it.  If it hadn’t been for General Hux, Ben would still be safely back at home with his mother and his uncle… and all the stifling rules and regulations, doubts, fears, insecurities, and forced helplessness that came with them.  

He was so confused.  

There was a certain allure to what Hux had said.  A yearning deep inside him that longed for acceptance - for  _ power _ .  Idly, he wondered whether his grandfather would have placed so many constraints on him.  Would Darth Vader have tried to limit his potential - to dampen the raw power he could already feel flowing through his veins with every beat of his heart?  

He still held bitterness toward his mother for keeping his grandfather’s identity a secret for so long.  Yes, he could understand why she hadn’t wanted the Republic to know, but to keep it a secret from her own son?  He had felt betrayed by that.  Maybe he still did, in some ways.  It made him wonder what else Leia had lied to him about while he was growing up.  He had so many questions - so many doubts - and he had no one with whom he could talk about them.  Could Hux be the one he could confide in?  

No.  Not him.  Never him.  

Ben stretched his long legs before standing to his feet and walking out of the dark room.  Using the Force, he was able to navigate easily through the darkness, making his way down the short span of corridor to the cell that held the fiery General.  Quietly, he entered the passcode and stepped inside as the doors slid open with a soft whoosh.  

General Hux lay on his own cot, seemingly asleep.  Even if he was not asleep, Ben knew he would not be able to see him in the pitch black that enveloped them.  He stood there, still and silent for several minutes, simply taking in his presence - allowing Hux’s energy signature to resonate with his own - learning all he could from that most basic of data. 

Finally, he crouched down, leaning back on his haunches, and waited for the General to wake. 

The ginger came to slowly, caught somewhere between dream and reality for a few groggy moments as his eyes opened to darkness. Starlight twinkled outside like a taunt - a mocking of the place that he came from. The life he was stolen away from as he was thrown into cage after cage. Restraints and chains had become more commonplace to him than he ever wanted to admit in these last few days.

He moved to wipe at his eyes, forgetting that he was bound for a moment until his left wrist was jerked from his motion. A low sigh accompanied the forced movement before the General pushed up into a sitting position, still lost in the darkness.

The soft sound of breathing suddenly hit his ears - near silent and only really noticed because of his own military training. Hux snapped to full attention, stepping away from his bed and the little sounds he heard. He refused to stop moving until he could feel stone against his back, putting as much space between his captor and himself as he possibly could.

“What the Force are you doing?”

“Guarding my captive,” came Ben’s reply from the dark.  “I must say, I’m impressed that you knew I was here.”  He stood to his full height, adjusting his clothing that had gotten bunched up while he’d been in his squatting position.  

“Relax.  I wasn’t doing anything to you.  I was just… being.  Mindfulness.  Living in the present, and all that.”  He sighed and moved to sit down on the bunk that Hux had vacated.  “Sleep well?” he asked, casually.

“No, actually. Surprisingly, the metal slab that you think is a bed is hardly comfortable.” A pause. “Didn’t your mother ever teach you that watching people as they sleep is an unsettling habit that tends to come across as you having an odd obsession?”

Even with the dying heat in his words, the ginger kept his distance, staying where he was perched on the wall for fear of tripping or falling over anything that might be in his way. “What do you want, anyway?”

“Considering the fact that we’re in complete darkness, and we’re the only two people here, I hardly count it as an obsession for me to wonder what you were doing.  Besides, you were asleep.  I wasn’t bothering you.”  

Ben shook his head.  “Why am I even trying to explain myself to you?  You are my prisoner, not the other way around.  If you would rather I leave, then I’ll leave.”  He began walking toward the door in long strides, prepared to walk out and leave Hux alone with his thoughts and the darkness. 

“Turn on the damn lights,” Hux snapped from where he was. His voice holding steady until he added a few words more. He almost whispered it, unwilling to be completely accepting that it was his own voice that was carrying the next request. “Then come back…”

Ben froze, mid-stride, when he heard the softly spoken request.  He turned his head slightly, almost waiting for the General to start laughing at his naive willingness to believe this was a legitimate request, but that mocking laughter never came.  He sighed, and stepped out of the room without answering.  

His mind was swimming with countless thoughts and emotions - a chaotic jumble of confusion.  He didn’t want to do what Hux had asked him - not because he didn’t want the lights on, but because he was stubborn, and didn’t want to let the General win.  He slumped against the wall, letting his head fall backward with a thump.  Defiance was not going to do any good.  He’d might as well just turn on the lights, at least.  But he would not return to the General’s cell.  He had to draw the line somewhere.

Ten minutes later, Ben found himself standing outside Hux’s cell, now with the lights on.  He cursed his own weakness as he keyed in the code and waited for the door to slide open, and then walked through.  

Jade eyes turned up, revealing themselves as they rose from the floor. The ginger hadn’t moved from his spot other than having slid down the wall to bring his knees up to his chest. His bound arms were looped around his legs, holding them as close as possible as he shivered in his corner, thin frame chilled from the cold air that closed in around the fiery General.

He was lost to his own mind, unsure of why he had requested that his captor - this man of uncontrolled power who had raked his claws through his mind and burned him from the inside out. Perhaps it was because Ben was the only other person on the base, or, perhaps it was that he was breaking slowly, cracking under the knowledge that he was stuck. Caged.

Maybe his dream was still bouncing around in his mind.

“We both know that this is going to turn back into another interrogation. Shall we just get it over with?” Hux huffed.

Ben regarded the General, huddled in the corner and shivering.  This was not the man he had captured, who had been so cock-sure of himself and rigid in his determination.  Something had shifted.  His voice and words were still defiant, but his body language spoke volumes to the contrary.  Ben sighed, walking over to the metal bunk and sitting down, turning his body to face Hux.  

“Or you could just talk to me,” he suggested with a shrug.  If harsher interrogation techniques had failed, maybe he could appeal to the General’s need for companionship - if that was, in fact, a need that this man had.  He could not be sure of this.  

“We both know you’re not going anywhere for a while.  Why don’t you just tell me what you know?”  The words sounded hollow, even to himself, but he had to try.  Besides, at this point he was basically treading water until his mother came swooping in to take over, anyway.  He turned his head, shifting his gaze to look at the blazing scars in the sky where the five planets had been hours earlier.  Now they were only empty spaces - gashes in the sky, bleeding flames.  

“You don’t  _ really _ gain pleasure from knowing you’ve just murdered billions of people, do you?  Look at them.  Those were entire worlds - civilizations that are just gone now.  And for what?  So you could make a point?  Why don’t you tell me about the weapon?  Where is it?  How can it be stopped?  We can end this, right now.”  

“Or you can join it,” the General instantly retorted. “Mr. Solo, you have no place in the Resistance, whether or not you want to admit it. You are lost and alone, here. People fear you, but they do not respect you. They want to control you. They want to stifle you instead of fan your flames.”

He paused, trying to bring himself back up to his normal status, but he couldn’t find the energy to do it. He was tired. He was battered, though not broken. “Do you see that? Those flames in the sky? That is the result of my orders, and my design coming into action. What design do you have to be proud of?”

Ben tilted his head with a frown on his lips.  “Proud?  So you are proud of slaughtering billions?  Proud of annihilating entire civilizations?”  He remained silent for a moment, simply studying the man on the floor, skimming the surface of his consciousness with thin tendrils of Force energy.  What kind of trauma would one person need to have encountered to cause such a craving for destruction?  Surely he could not be as cold as he seemed.  

“Get out of my head. I feel you there, Mr. Solo, kindly keep out of my thoughts.”

Ben huffed, but withdrew from Hux’s mind.  He was too tired to put up a fight right now, and he was beginning to worry about where his mother and uncle were.  They should have arrived by now.  

The young Force user rubbed his eyes in frustration.  He remained silent for several moments before finally speaking again.  This time, he had no ulterior motive, beyond his own morbid curiosity.  His voice was gentler and quieter and he tried to look at Hux with eyes that were less judgemental and more searching.  

“What happened to you?”  he said.  “Something must have happened to you, to make you so…” He paused, choosing his words carefully.  If he offended Hux at this point, he’d might as well just go back to his own room without having spoken at all.  “What drives you to prove that you have control?  Why do you need to feel powerful?”

The ginger was silent, lips pursed together and gaze lowered once more, the ground much more kind than human facial expressions. He didn’t want pity - really, he just didn't want to talk about anything having to do with himself, but that apparently wasn’t registering with the taller man. Hux debated just not giving any kind of answer. Just staying silent and letting the tension between them return to the levels it was at before. Before they had transitioned into this awkward standoff.

“Your family fears you, Ben Solo. Mine hated me. My father wouldn’t have allowed me his name, if my mother hadn’t…” He stopped there, moving away from that point in his life. Not the time. “I was never good enough. I wasn’t a soldier. I wasn’t the first pick when it came to sports. I could think circles around his true son, but that never concerned him. Every day he looked at me like I was the worst thing that could have happened to him. Every day, I believed that more and more.”

Ben swallowed, listening intently as the impenetrable barrier around the fiery General began to give way.  It wasn’t an avalanche, but maybe a small crack in the foundations.  It was enough to give him hope.  

“I’m sorry,” he said, and he meant it.  “But even you must know that not every abused or neglected child grows up to be a genocidal dictator.”  Ben surprised himself with a laugh, and shook his head.  He thought he might actually be losing his mind, but decided to press forward.  “What happened to him?  Your father.  Is he still alive?” 

“He’s the head of the Arkanis Academy. Still hating me for being the youngest graduate to ever grace the halls with my deplorable self,” Hux answered bitterly, hugging his legs tighter, now. “He always told his son that he was meant to rule the world. And that I was meant to be a slave to him when that happened. A mindless drone. Since I first moved into the Hux household, my place was certain, and it was under the feet of better people. I was...I  _ am _ always so close to being sickly. My childhood was spent bouncing from doctor to doctor until it was decided I wasn’t on death’s door for the time being. But I was never worth anything, either.”

“Maker…” Ben murmured, under his breath.  He hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but he knew that Hux had heard him, and he sighed heavily.  “That’s… I don’t even know what to say to that.”  

Ben was alarmed to find that he was beginning to actually feel sorry for the Order General, even if he had just committed the war crime of the century.  The spark of compassion he felt glowing in his chest made him want to walk across the room and pull Hux into a hug - to somehow make him feel better.  But he knew that, even if he were so inclined, the General would never allow it to happen.  He was much too proud for that sort of thing.  

Slapping his hands down on his thighs, Ben abruptly changed the subject.  “Why don’t I go and find something for us to eat?  I’m hungry, and I’m sure you must be as well.  There should be some rations stored away.  Not the most appetizing fare, but edible, and there will be water as well.”  

He stood from the bunk and walked straight to the door.  He paused briefly, but didn’t turn his head, before opening the door and walking through without another word or glance.  He made his way to the stockroom, where he was sure he’d be able to find rations and water, leaving the General alone in his cell.

The redhead glanced up when he heard the lock of the door sliding into place and the silence descend once more. It was eerie. Haunting, being left alone to his own thoughts. He wasn’t entirely sure what had compelled him to give up so much information to his captor, but he was too weary to think about it for long. There was a gnawing in his stomach that had started the moment that Ben had mentioned going for food.

The promise of something to eat was almost enough of a motivator to push away the feeling of loneliness crashing down around the General. The First Order would never stop looking for him, but their reasons would eventually change from that of a rescue to that of an extraction - assuming that, after so long away from his post, he would have talked. It would turn into a manhunt and he’d be left in a place where he’d either have to seek refuge and talk, or be pushed to death by both sides of the war.

Wasn’t that an appealing future he faced?

His sigh echoed mockingly in his cell.

***

In the stockroom, Ben rifled through shelves of dusty supplies, in search of field rations.  So far, he’d managed to find some blankets and pillows, and a few nondescript articles of clothing that he estimated might fit Hux and himself.  

As he continued searching, Ben replayed the conversation he’d had with the General just minutes earlier.  He could no longer deny that his feelings toward the prisoner were becoming more and more confused, and images still flickered through his mind, unbidden, from the dream he’d had the night before.  

He swore under his breath, wishing he could turn back time and purposely choose  _ not _ to capture General Hux.  All those Resistance soldiers’ lives would have been spared, the base wouldn’t have been blown to bits, as it undoubtedly had been, and he wouldn’t have to worry about the inner conflict with which he was now faced.  Who knows, but that the Hosnian System might even still be intact?  No, he couldn’t blame himself for the destruction of an entire star system.  The blame for that travesty rested squarely on the shoulders of the First Order, if not on General Hux, himself.  

These things - the events that had taken place and the actions the General had taken - were fact.  There was no changing them, and really, there was no excusing them.  Yet Ben felt compassion for him.  The incongruence caused his mind to cramp as it tried, in vain, to resolve the conundrum.  

Ben let forth a soft sound of delight as he finally located a crate that was filled with field rations, and another one that was stocked with canisters of drinking water.  Further investigation revealed a few dusty bottles of Corellian Rum.  He laughed, shaking his head.  Obviously, whoever had stocked these supplies must have been catering to Ben’s father.  

He gathered as many of the field rations as he could, along with a few canisters of water and one of the bottles of rum, and made his way awkwardly back to Hux’s cell, only to realize that he would have to drop most of it in order to enter the code on the keypad that would unlock and open the door.  Grumbling, he did so, kicking the rations into the cell with one foot as he walked through and turned to close the door behind him.  

Hux glanced up as the man returned, hating the way his stomach ached when he saw the food and the way that his mood perked up once Ben had reappeared. Pools of jade landed on the rum, confusion written across his face - when did ‘looking for rations’ turn into ‘raiding the alcohol closet’?

Regardless, the ginger unlooped his arms and let his legs drop away from him, one extending outward as the other simply fell, bent at the knee, to the side. He shifted forward slowly, uncertain about exactly where the boundaries between them still stood and still wary that the man might lash out at any time - that fiery anger always just a few words away from suddenly appearing. Reaching out, the General pulled a ration toward himself, sitting back against the wall as soon as he had it to open it and rifle through it. Dried fruit, some kind of ‘meat’, and a few things that he couldn’t identify if he had an encyclopedia of foods beside him.

At this point, he was hungry enough that he could complain later.

Ben watched as Hux took, and opened, one of the packets of field rations. The way he moved reminded Ben of a half-starved feral dog, scavenging scraps from a trash can. It made his heart clench in his chest.  

Still standing, Ben looked from the disgraced General to the rations, to the metal bunk, and back. He sighed heavily, shaking his head and walking to the wall where Hux sat, carrying a ration packet and two jugs of water. He would probably regret this, but at the moment, he didn't care. 

Ben slid down the wall to plop onto the floor next to Hux. “Sorry it's not very extravagant, but it’s better than nothing, right?”  He offered a half-hearted shrug and held out one of the water jugs for Hux to take. 

Jade eyes flicked back and forth between the offered bottle and the man holding it. Was this a trick? Some sort of ‘befriend-and-betray’ tactic to get the ginger to talk? Or, perhaps it was something much less sinister.

Still, Hux was cautious when he took the water bottle, a small frown pulling on his lips as he turned his attention back to the rations and gave a little shrug at the presentation. It was edible. Right now, that’s all that mattered to the General’s mind. That and the sudden closeness that he was graced with once more.

He could feel the warmth that wafted off Ben’s body. The way that they were close to one another as it chased away the chill that had settled over him from the stone and the air of the musty cell. He slowly took a dried fruit between his fingers, checking it over as a means of not looking at the taller man.

“Your father is Han Solo. Is he the one who taught you to fly?”

Ben flinched slightly, unprepared for the sudden jaunt into such familiar territory.  His relationship with his father was a complex one, and not one that Ben normally discussed openly - especially with virtual strangers.  Under the circumstances, though, he decided it wouldn’t do any harm.  It wasn’t like he had anyone else to talk to, and besides, Hux  _ had _ opened up to him about his own father, earlier.  

“Yes,” he said softly, scrutinizing the stale cracker he held in his hand.  “He had me piloting my first craft when I was only 6 years old.  Of course, having the Force helps a lot - reflexes, you know - and, just... _ knowing _ things.”  He was quiet for a moment, before adding, “In all honestly, I think my father only introduced me to flying.  The Force, itself, taught me just as much as he did, over the long run.”  

Ben paused, taking a bite of the cracker.  It was so hard, he was almost concerned it might have chipped a tooth, but he chewed it up and swallowed, anyway.  It was barely palatable, but it was still better than an empty stomach.  He chased it down with a long swig of lukewarm water, smacking his lips.  

“Well, that’s refreshing.  If you’re a Whomp rat.”  

He glanced over at Hux for the first time since sitting down next to him, and was met with an unexpected hitch in his breath.  He hadn’t realized just how close he was sitting to the General, and when he looked up, he was suddenly overcome with the urge to move closer still.  His reaction was to scoot a few inches in the opposite direction, clearing his throat.  

“Anyway…” he stammered, hoping to distract from his awkwardness.  “My Uncle Luke taught me a bit of flying as well.  The Skywalkers have always been exceptional pilots.  Do you fly at all?”  He looked back up to meet Hux’s gaze, and was relieved to find that the pounding in his chest had lessened since he’d moved farther away. 

“I was trained to fly, but I rarely do so,” Hux shrugged, slightly crestfallen when the man moved away, already missing the warmth that came with the closeness. “The Academy trains all its officers and I’ve flown in battles before, but now I always have other people behind the steering. There’s always an escort, no matter what I do. I don’t mind. I was never all that interested in the art, anyway.”

The ginger took one bite of the meat and instantly decided that was enough, deeming to rely on fruit and crackers for the time being. He reached for his water, struggling to open it without being able to use his wrists properly, but too prideful to ask for help. Eventually, he gave up, setting it aside and going back to his dried rations.

A moment later, the lid twisted itself.

Jade eyes glanced up, trying to meet the honey-brown that pointedly kept away from him.

“Thank you.”

Ben shrugged, but couldn’t hold back the little smile that danced across his lips.  “You’re welcome,” he said softly.  

“Oh, I almost forgot!”  Ben hopped up from his place on the floor and walked back to the door, keying it open, and stepping outside, only to return moments later, carrying two pillows and two blankets.  The pillows were rather flat, and the blankets were scratchy, but they would serve their purposes well enough.  

“I couldn’t help but notice you were cold,” Ben offered, feeling oddly embarrassed at the fact that he had taken note of it.  “Anyway, I thought you might like a blanket and pillow.”  He glanced down at Hux’s bound wrists, and for the briefest of moments, considered removing the binders from his wrists.  But he quickly decided against this course of action.  Yes, the General seemed tame and meek  _ now _ , when he was bound and imprisoned, but who knew what he might do if he were able to have the full use of his hands?  Ben decided he couldn’t risk it.  Not yet.  

“I’m sorry about your wrists,” he murmured.  “I’m sure you understand.”  He unfolded the blanket and half tossed, half spread it over the General’s lower body.  The pillow, he tossed onto the bunk.  

Ben stood motionless for a few moments, considering his options.  He could sit back down with Hux for a while longer, or he could go back to his own temporary room.  Alternatively, he could go in search of more supplies that they could use until Leia and Luke showed up.  The thought of the two of them stopped him short.  Why had they not yet arrived?  They should have gotten there hours ago.  He sighed heavily, walked over to the place he’d been sitting, picked up the remainder of his rations and his jug of water, and edged toward the door.  

“I think I’m going to go and try to get a little more sleep,” he said, once again avoiding the General’s gaze, though he wasn’t sure exactly why.  One look out the tiny barred window proved that it was still dark outside.  “It will be morning soon, and General Organa will be arriving.  It will be best for you to be well rested when she gets here.”  

In that briefest of moments, Ben had once again erected a barrier between them.  The draw he felt to Hux terrified him, and in response, he struggled to break free of it.  How would it look if his mother arrived to find him buddied up with the prisoner?  No, he needed to draw some healthy boundaries.  

He paused at the door, turning to look over his shoulder.  “I’ll be back in the morning,” he said, though whether that was supposed to be a comfort or a threat to the other man, he wasn’t entirely certain.  

“Well, I certainly won’t be going anywhere,” the ginger sassed back, jade gaze turning to look at the pillow on the bunk. It was a gift that he doubted would normally be granted to prisoner, and it struck him for a moment that this could all just be a way to make him trust the taller man more. Make him feel like they were bonded or something similar.

Then, again, it could be nothing at all - just an observation and response. It was cold, thus get blankets.

With a shrug, Hux managed to get back to his feet without using his hands for anything more than holding the blanket close to his thin frame. His mind was already moving back into a more strategic mindset, readying itself to compute ways out of where he was, now.

“Good day, Mr. Solo,” the General stated simply, voice cold and professional once more.

***

Ben managed to get back to sleep, but he did not rest soundly.  Fragments of dreams haunted his mind as he tossed and turned, in spite of his newfound “comfort” of pillow and blanket.  His unconscious seemed to be battling with itself.  One dream sequence would present a scenario in which General Hux was to be executed for crimes against the Republic, but the next sequence would feature Ben, himself, once again tangled up with the General in a dance of passion.  

Upon awakening, he wasn’t sure which set of dreams had been more disturbing.  More disturbing, still, was the fact that his body, apparently, had greatly approved of the latter.  A ridiculous urge to go to the other man and huddle together with him for warmth and comfort flitted through his mind, but he snorted at the idea.  

Groaning, Ben sat up, pivoting on the bunk and swinging his long legs over the edge.  The floor was cold under his bare feet, and his muscles were stiff and sore.  He hoped he wouldn’t have to go on sleeping on the parasteel bunk for many more nights.  That thought reminded him of the conspicuous absence of his mother and uncle.  A quick look inward reassured him that they were still alive, and didn’t seem to be in any  _ immediate _ danger, but beyond that, he could sense nothing.  It was as if they had just disappeared into another dimension.  He sighed, and stood to his feet.  

Ben stretched his arms up above his head, and realized with a grimace that it had been too long since he had showered.  The stress of the previous day hadn’t helped, either.  More and more, he had begun to wonder just how long he could effectively hold a prisoner on his own.  It was only a matter of time before Hux figured out a way to break free.  And when that happened, he would either kill Ben, or take him hostage, or else he would escape and return to the First Order, and then likely order the destruction of this base, and Ben would die anyway.  

He couldn’t think about all these things.  Not yet.  His mother would be there soon, and she would get everything sorted out.  Just like she always did. 

***

Just a few doors away, Hux jerked into wakefulness, vision flashing with a consuming, red light that burned away everything it touched. Raw, powerful, uncontrollable and unstoppable. Chest heaving and hands shaking, he shoved away from the bunk, feet barely hitting the ground before he was walking in continuous circles, one cuffed wrist clasped by a pale hand as the ginger tried to ground himself, calm himself.

With a sudden movement, the General stopped moving, standing before the little window and staring up at the golden light of the morning that served as a brief hint of freedom. A show of the life beyond his too-small cell and the manacles that kept him bound.

He sighed, then scowled. Frustration building up inside of him. He was tired of this. Tired of these Resistance games and--

The silence of the day struck him suddenly. There were no voices. No mechanical noises. Nothing. Quiet settled around him, drowning him like the waves of an ocean in the stillness of this new hiding place. Alone. He and his captor were still alone.

For someone who was so sure that all of his family and peers would arrive and confront him, Ben Solo was also nowhere to be seen - and perhaps that was a crack in his mask. A showing that his confidence was misplaced.

***

Meanwhile, Ben Solo was pacing the floor of the cell he had claimed for his own.  With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he realized that he’d left all the rations in Hux’s cell.  Even worse was the realization that those rations were all the two of them had available to eat.  How many days could he go on eating stale crackers and dried fruit?  Then again, he supposed that if one was hungry enough, even stale crackers would look like a feast.  

Ben walked over to the sink that jutted out from the wall of the cell, and splashed cold water on his face before doing his best to wash away the sweat and the unpleasant aroma that clung to his underarms.  After Leia and Luke arrived, he could take a proper shower.  For now, this would have to do.  

He quickly changed into the clothes he’d found the night before, immediately realizing that they were about 2 sizes too small.  The pants clung to his muscular legs at the thighs, and made it difficult to walk.  He’d be lucky if he could get through the day without splitting the seam.  The shirt fit a little better, only because it was of a more stretchy fabric, but still stretched taut over his well-muscled chest and stomach.  He made a mental note to go in search of better-fitting clothes later on.  

Raking his long fingers through his unruly black hair, Ben walked out of his room and down the hall to Hux’s cell.  He was half tempted to just leave the man alone in his room.  After all, he had food and water now, and he probably didn’t want to see Ben anyway.  He would be safe and contained, and Ben wouldn’t have to worry about the way his heart had begun to accelerate every time he looked at the General, or heard him speak.  He wouldn’t have to worry about doing something  _ incredibly _ stupid.  

Then again, all the food was in that room.  

Ben keyed in the passcode and stepped through the door as it opened and whooshed closed again behind him.  

“Good morning, General,” he said stiffly.  “I trust you were able to get some sleep?  It’s not as though you have a conscience to keep you awake.”  He smirked, eyes roaming over the weary expression and disheveled appearance of the Order General.  

Hux couldn’t stop the way that his eyes roamed over the man before him - taking in the way that the new clothes fit Ben like a glove and showed off the muscles that his more baggy attire had hidden away from sight. His expression, though, portrayed anything but comfort as he seemed almost self-conscience of his being. The ginger turned his gaze away, shifting the weight on his feet a few times before finally just walking back over to his bunk.

“I trust that you slept well, also, Mr. Solo, instead of letting your undying worry for your mother keep you awake all night. Sentimentality is completely overrated anyway, isn’t it?” The General shuffled back until he could recline against the wall, mask up once more. “Will you at least allow me a shower? It’s obvious enough that you have magic on your side to keep me placated.”

“I haven’t allowed  _ myself _ the luxury of a shower.  Why should I allow it for  _ you _ ?” he growled, already wishing he’d just walked on by that cell, and gone without food.  “You can wash up in the sink, just like I did.”  He gestured with his head toward the sink on the wall.  

“You know, I might be more inclined to give you a bit more freedom if you’d cooperate, even the tiniest amount,” Ben said, trying to shake the icy strain that had clung to his initial statements.  “You don’t really want to kill any more people, do you?  Just tell me how your weapon works, and how to stop it.  If you do that, I can protect you.  If you remain resolute, it’s only a matter of time until you will be executed as a war criminal.”  

Ben was unsettled by how badly he wanted Hux to cooperate - not because he was so concerned about the deaths of countless innocent lives, but because he was concerned with the death of the man before him.  The fact that he’d begun to have compassion for the General infuriated him.  It proved, once again, that he was weak and foolish - more like his father than his grandfather.  

“Death, Ben Solo, is not a threat to me,” Hux responded, his voice falling into a rhythm that only came from years of saying the same thing over and over and over. Rehearsing it like the lines for a play - passing it from one leader to the next until it was all that could be remembered in times like this. “The First Order will never bow to the Resistance or the Republic. If I die, another will rise in my place.”

The General didn’t fully believe that last part. He was the best strategist that the First Order had ever seen. His power and his technological prowess was unmatched by anyone around him - his age or older. Or younger. The ginger had eyes on the galactic throne, not because he was power-hungry, though he was sure there was a good argument for that, but because he was made to control, to rule, to re-establish order in a galaxy that had long since lost it.

A sigh filled the air between them. “What’s the point in keeping me from a shower, Mr. Solo? Other than your own want for power and control?”

Ben sighed.  He didn’t have a very good reason for keeping Hux from showering, beyond the fact that he just didn’t want to be bothered with it.  Yet this all seemed like some bizarre power play, and he wasn’t ready to turn belly up just yet. Hux’s stuffy arrogance and stubborn insistence was beginning to act on his pent up anger and frustration like fingernails scraping down a chalkboard. 

“My reasons are none of your concern,” he said shortly, grabbing one of the packets of rations and a fresh jug of water.  “You can use the sink, just like I did.  And until you decide to cooperate, you can sit in this cell and enjoy the silence.”  

Without waiting for a response, he turned and strode out of the room, closing the door behind him.  He was ashamed at the way his heart wilted once he’d left the other man’s presence, but he didn’t look back.  Instead, he walked back to his own room and ate his breakfast in silence.

For the first hour of his isolation, Hux busied himself with various attempts to get the cuffs off his arms, twisting around this way and that and trying to pry them apart on the edge of his bed. Failing that, he used the second hour to start making plans about his escape, mentally mapping out the way that Ben had taken him when they first arrived. He made notes of any supplies that might be useful and anything else he needed before returning to his  _ Finalizer _ . The third and fourth hours consisted of him cursing out his captor under his breath and imagining all the things he would do to extract his revenge.

In the fifth hour, he finally washed up with the sink, finding the process near impossible with his wrists bound.

In the sixth hour, the ginger found himself lying down on the floor, gazing up at the window as clouds lazily drifted by.

By the time that the seventh hour rolled into the eighth, Hux had shoved his rations away from himself and taken up a silent vigil back on his bed.

‘It’s like a coffin,’ he thought with a heavy exhale.

Ben had spent the day mostly in meditation in his own room.  He tried to gain understanding and guidance from the Force as to what he needed to do, but it felt like his reach was constantly thwarted by an invisible stone wall - as if the Force itself was giving him the silent treatment.  He had no idea how much time he’d spent there, straining to see into the murky blackness of the universe as it stretched out into infinity all around him.  

Finally, he gave up.  He was growing more and more frustrating with every angle of this situation.  Moreover, he was tired and sore, hungry, and lonely.  There had still been no word from his mother, nor from any of the other Resistance members, and he was beginning to wonder whether he’d gone to the wrong place.  

Ben’s thoughts drifted lazily back to the General in the next cell over.  Perhaps he’d had enough time to himself to be a little more cooperative.  At any rate, all the rations were still in that room.  He chastised himself for not having taken a few packets with him last time he’d left.  But then, Ben Solo was not known for his great planning and skills in foresight.  

Heaving himself up from the floor with a grunt, Ben made the short journey one more time, down the hall to the room Hux was occupying.  He caught himself moments before idiotically knocking on the door with his fist.  Force, he really was losing it.  Straightening himself up, he keyed in the passcode and entered the room to find the General lying flat on his back and staring at the ceiling.  Well, then.  It seemed their moods were not all that different.  

The ginger didn’t move, didn’t acknowledge the man’s presence in any other way than his superficial thoughts lighting up, both aware and unaware of the Force user’s ability to hear them. Hux’s eyes traced cracks above him, counting the ways that they branched off from one another, creating a plethora of paths, of choices, in the ceiling above him. 

It reminded him of the stars - of how the cosmos twisted together to form clusters of life and how celestial bodies came together to form a greater picture than simple planets and suns. It reminded him of  _ home _ .

‘Stars were never meant to be gazed upon from down here, they are meant to be lived among,’ he thought, slowly sitting up and keeping his back to Ben. ‘Meant to be harnessed. Meant to be…’ That thought trailed off, giving way to one that wasn’t meant to be heard.

‘He looks like a star. Like a god of old. Like a folklore.’

Ben froze in place, struck by the thoughts that flowed so freely - almost carelessly from the General. He was certain he hadn't meant for them to be overheard, and he felt almost dirty for eavesdropping, like he'd taken something that didn't belong to him. He cleared his throat and stepped farther into the room. 

He had planned on questioning the man again - demanding information about the weapon, or the Order, or anything at all. Now, however, his mind was a complete blank. Had Hux been thinking of  _ him _ moments earlier?  If so, this was not a trick or deception.  It couldn't be a lie if Hux didn't even realize he'd heard it.  Ben’s mind was a blur, and he felt as though the ground was tipping beneath his feet. The man before him was his  _ enemy _ . He had to keep that thought in mind. It was absolutely essential. 

“I'm sorry I left you so long,” he said softly. The words had tumbled out, seemingly of their own accord. He moved, without fully knowing why, to stand behind the General, and reached out to rest a hand on his shoulder. 

Hux tensed for a moment, his entire body growing rigid and taut as the ginger awaited the touch to turn into something else. Some kind of pain, some kind of hurt, some kind of anything that wasn’t just a touch. He waited for pain, but it never came.

Slowly, bit by bit, the ginger relaxed once more.

‘His hand is warm…’

“Will you let me shower, now?”

Ben closed his eyes, gathering his strength.  Of all the things he thought might have come out of the General’s mouth, the request to shower had not crossed his mind.  His fingers curled ever so slightly around the slender shoulder reflexively as a wave of frustration washed over him, but the thoughts and emotions hovering just below the surface would not allow him to be angry.  

A new image hit his mind with the power of a Hoth avalanche - Hux and himself, together, in the shower.  When would this end?  When would these visions cease?  And where were they coming from?  More importantly, how much longer could he fight them?  

The room began to spin, and Ben reached forward to steady himself, grabbing the General’s other shoulder with his other hand.  For one terrifying moment, he thought he was going to start crying, but he managed to contain himself until the surge of emotion and vertigo passed.  

“I’ll make you a deal,” he said hoarsely, as he released his hold on Hux’s shoulders and took a step back.  “If you will answer one question for me, I’ll let you take a shower.”  

The General’s brow furrowed as he was suddenly grabbed by both of the taller man’s hands - pressure being pushed onto his thin frame in a way that was stifling and near-overbearing for a moment. It felt...like the soldier back on Hux’s shuttle who had pulled the ginger down when he fell.

A flicker of worry - of concern - appeared in the slighter man’s mind before he tried to hide it once more. An answer for a shower. Surely there wasn’t anything important that one question could tear apart?

“Fine.”

Ben’s relief was palpable as he digested that one word from the General.  He took a deep breath, and tried to decide exactly what he wanted to ask. He could ask literally anything he wanted - about the weapon, the First Order operations, about Snoke, himself.  Somehow none of those things seemed quite as important as they had two days ago. 

The words echoed through his mind, loud and insistent:  _ Do you want me, Hux? _  It was probably the single most ridiculous thing he had ever considered doing.  Even though he could sense the attraction between them.  Even though all he really wanted to do at that moment was gather the smaller man up in his arms and keep him warm.  No.  This was wrong.  This was all wrong.  

“What is the First Order’s next move?”  he asked, voice cracking slightly on the last word.  

“Getting me.” The ginger stated simply, instantly, as though that question was the most obvious thing in the world. His head tilted slightly. “That’s not what you wanted to ask me, but there’s your answer. The next move of the Order is to retrieve me. After that, we’ll burn this place out of existence just as we did with the Hosnian System.”

Rage flared in Ben’s chest without warning.  That hadn’t been what he’d meant and Hux was well aware of the fact.  What a fool he’d been to think that this cold, heartless man would actually give him a valuable piece of information.  Stepping forward, he swiped a wide arc in front of his body, and instantly, Hux spun around where he sat, to face the Force user.  

“The least you could do is look at me when I am talking to you,” he said in a low, steady voice.  “Or doesn’t the First Order teach manners in their academies?”  

Ben’s face twisted into a snarl as his hand shot straight out in front of him, slamming Hux back against the wall and lifting him slowly off the bunk, to hover just beyond the point where his feet could find purchase.  

“Let’s try this one more time,” he said in a low growl.  “Before you were captured by the Resistance, what was the First Order’s next planned move?”  He gritted his teeth as he glared at the ginger, flattened against the wall and seemingly hovering there.  “Alternatively, you could look at it this way,” he continued, voice still low and calm, despite the fury that swirled like a tornado in his gut.  “Once the Order has their cherished General back, and this place is wiped off the face of the planet,  _ then _ what will be the First Order’s  _ next _ move?”  

“Do...Do you see this?” Hux questioned back instead, pulling on the Force’s hold on him, though he knew that he couldn’t get free. “Do you see the darkness inside of you? No...No Jedi would do this. But a Sith would.”

As his finished, the ginger raised an eyebrow. His cool facade, however, was only skin deep. He was not intimidated, per se, but he knew that with a simple flick of his wrist or tightening of his hand, the man before him could end his life. For some reason, though, the General had a feeling that he wouldn’t - and perhaps that’s something that would need to change if Ben suddenly decided to help Hux escape, but perhaps it was something that was just reserved for him.

“How many...people...have you pinned to a wall when you can’t control your anger?” The General pushed on, a scowl appearing on his lips as his own anger flashed in his eyes like lightning in the sky. Like a great flash before everything came crumbling down. “How many times have you lost control and not had someone pleading for their life? You want to know what the Order’s next move is, Ben Solo? Then put. Me. Down.”

The General’s words cut him like a knife, as he realized the truth behind them.  He had lost control more times than he could even remember, sometimes hurting the people he loved the most, though nearly always by accident.  That didn’t change the fact that even his closest friends and relatives were afraid of him - of what was inside him.  

Ben’s face twisted into a snarl and he abruptly slashed the air with his hand in a sharp downward arc.  Instantly, Hux slid down the wall and landed in a crumpled heap on the bunk.  Ben was nearly quivering, though whether it was from rage, confusion, or utter horror, he wasn’t sure.  He simply stared at the ginger, feeling completely lost.  

After what felt like hours, he finally said in a near whisper,  “You.  Don’t.  Know.  Me.”  He took a step backwards, tempted to run out of the room again, leaving Hux alone with his own thoughts, but he felt rooted to the spot, unable to move.

“I do,” the General responded, grimacing as he pushed himself up and off the bed, stalking forward until he stood in front of the Force user, completely calm despite what had just happened to him. “I don’t need magic to get into your head, Ben Solo. I’m already there. I’ve been there since the moment I was captured. I  _ know _ you.”

Gaze dropping for a moment to his man’s full lips, the ginger turned suddenly, forcing them apart as he took a few steps away. Too close. Too dangerous. Dreams and images too fresh in his mind and curiosity too sensitive. With a roll of his shoulders and a straightening of his back, Hux reined himself back in.

“We aim to unify the galaxy, Mr. Solo. To make everyone bow to us to give power to those who deserve it. There’s your answer. Now take me to the showers.”

Ben swallowed.  The way the General approached him and stood right before him did nothing to calm his frazzled nerves and confusion. His words were equally unnerving.  How could anyone - let alone  _ this _ man - know how his mind worked?  What made Hux think that he had some privileged inside view into Ben’s subconscious?  But he found that he wanted it to be true.  Hadn’t that been what he’d longed for his entire life?  For someone to know him -  _ really  _ know him?  To understand and accept him, not for what they hoped he could be - what they wanted him to be, but simply for what he  _ was. _

He’d watched Hux’s eyes fall onto his lips, and for a split second, he thought the other man might try to kiss him.  No, he’d  _ hoped _ he would.  But then the ginger had stepped away and the moment had passed.  He cleared his throat awkwardly and turned aside, himself.  The showers.  Right.  

“I want specifics,” he said, though his voice was soft and held nearly no conviction behind his words.  “You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know.”  He was irritated, tired, and confused, but he didn’t want to fight anymore.  Not right now.  Not with Hux.  

What harm could a shower do?  

“Fine.  I’ll take you to the showers,” he finally said.  He grabbed Hux’s elbow with one hand and opened the door with the other.  Once again, he was struck by how slender the General’s arm was - such a fine bone structure.  It was no wonder he had thought himself a failure as a soldier.  And yet, he had an undeniable presence about him that had nothing to do with physical stature.  He would be light - easy to carry, Ben thought.  Easy to… 

He tugged abruptly on the General’s arm, lurching both Hux and his own mind back to the present, and began leading him down the hall to the communal showers.


	5. I Was Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Please note the Explicit rating of this fic. This chapter contains graphic sexual imagery.

On their way to the shower, the ginger stumbled a few steps, the pull on his arm stronger than he assumed the taller man expected it to be. Either that or Solo was back to trying to assert his dominance over the already captured General. Regardless, Hux caught himself, righted himself, and steadied himself before the next tug so that he could stay on his feet.

Ben obviously had physical strength - obviously knew how to use his body to overpower other people. He was obviously built like a brick wall and, sometimes, Hux wondered if he was just as smart as one as well. Other times he had been pleasantly surprised. There was more to the Force user than he’d originally thought, and he was intrigued by that - interested in what made Ben Solo tick.

“Maker, if you treat everyone like this, I’m surprised that you don’t have all the Resistance girls fawning over you,” the ginger snapped as he jerked against the hold on his arm. His voice had a slightly jealous edge to it, but he shoved that thought aside, unwilling to ponder it as they turned into the shower area. Jade eyes glanced around, a lip curling as he took in the menial sight before him.  His gaze dropped to his wrists. Well, that certainly wasn’t going to work.

Ben immediately knew what Hux was thinking.  There was no way he could even get his clothes off without releasing the binders, let alone wash himself with any thoroughness.  It made little difference; Ben could easily restrain his full body with the use of the Force, with or without binders.  But he wasn’t about to let the General out of his sight.  

Without a word, Ben twisted his wrist and the binders clattered to the shower floor.  “Pick them up and hand them to me,” he said.  “And, my love life is none of your concern,” he added as an afterthought, a small smirk playing at his lips.  

“Good.” Hux snapped back, kicking the cuffs across the floor to his captor’s feet. “I’d rather not know anything more about you than I already do.”

It was a lie and the General knew that it showed, even as he rubbed the feeling back into his wrists. This was the first time in days that he’d been free of the manacles, those steel restraints that he glared at as though they had personally offended him. Without a word, he moved further into the showers, finding a place at the far end that was less public than the rest of them, tucked away in the corner, as far from the entrance as possible.

Button by button, Hux removed his uniform top, letting it fall down his arms before he removed it completely and folded it, placing it on the ground away from the shower spray before he turned it on, letting it heat as he shucked off his boots and slowly shimmied out of his pants. The sound of footsteps made him jump.

“What are you doing?!” The General growled as Ben reappeared in the showers.

Ben scoffed at the question.  “Do you really think I’m going to let you out of my sight?  I’m making sure you’re not going to try anything stupid.” 

“With what, Solo?! The damn bar of soap?” Hux retorted covering himself up as best he could with only his hands. “I’m showering!”

“I’m not a  _ complete _ idiot, Hux,” he retorted, tempted to pin him to the wall again just for good measure.  “You are not the most submissive of prisoners.  Witness the binders you just kicked at me, instead of picking them up as I asked.”  He shook his head with a huff.  “You’re my captive, and I’m not taking my eyes off you,” he said resolutely. 

“I’m  _ showering _ ,” the ginger hissed, turning his body away to keep himself out of Ben’s gaze. “And what fantasy world do you live in where prisoners just submit to their captors and everyone lives happily ever after?! Stop watching holofilms and accept that life is not a fairytale!”

“I’m not the one who thinks I can destroy five planets in one day and live happily ever after,” he quipped.  “Besides, you are not just  _ any _ prisoner.  You are a General - a highly dangerous man, and I am  _ not _ letting you out of my sight.  So you’d might as well deal with it and get on with your shower.”

“Turn around.”

At the quizzical look that Hux received, the ginger let out a low growling noise, his patience gone and his want to snap - to hurt, to say the words that he knew would startle and stab without the need of a weapon.

“Turn the  _ Force _ around because I will not be looked upon by the man who  _ mind-raped _ me!”

Ben scowled, gritting his teeth.  “And  _ I _ am not going to turn my back on the man who  _ blew up _ my home!  You are forgetting that I was under no obligation to bring you here at all.  I could have left you in that cell to rot, but I  _ chose _ to allow you this one small luxury, even though you have fought me every step of the way.  You have poked, prodded, and provoked me with the intention of pushing me over the edge, and I have put up with all I can stand.  Now either take your blasted shower, or put your clothes back on and get back to your cell!”  

Ben leaned back against the wall, folding his arms resolutely across his chest and huffing a deep breath.  

“You,” Hux murmured, his voice soft, calm, cool. “Are  _ not _ light side. You never will be, and the more you fight it, the more you will be torn apart, Ben Solo. Violating people’s minds? Pinning them to walls? Freezing them in place? Did your uncle teach you any of those or are they just things that come naturally to you?” Jade eyes dropped to where the ginger’s clothes were.

When they raised again, they were alight with fire and ice. “Do all Resistance members ogle their prisoners, or do you just get off on power? Because that seems rather dark as well.”

“Ha!” Ben barked out a laugh of indignation.  “Don’t flatter yourself,  _ General _ .  You don’t have anything I haven’t seen before, and believe me, I’ve seen much  _ better _ .”  

Ben didn’t even know what he was saying anymore.  His words were a defense - a means of stabbing back at the man who was bent on getting under his skin.  He wanted to spit back that he was in complete control of himself and his abilities, and that his positioning between the Light side and Dark was none of the General’s business, but he chose not to allow him to see that he’d struck a nerve.  Instead, he set his mouth in a sneer, and planted his feet firmly on the floor where he stood.  

“I don’t have all day, General.  Are you going to shower or not?”  

“Yes, you do. You have all day and all night and all tomorrow because  _ everyone _ is gone,” the ginger snapped back. “You were shoved out of a room with a prisoner because you once again were pushed aside and  _ not trusted _ to be in that situation! Do you know why, Ben? Because you are too much like your grandfather!”

Hux’s voice broke, but echoed in the tiled room around them. Nothing was heard between them except the sound of their breathing before the ginger shook his head and turned to his shower, adding, “And there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Ben stood rigid, hands clenched into fists and breathing raggedly.  He wanted to snap back - wanted to fight - wanted to pin Hux to the wall and kiss him until he submitted.  But he did none of that.  Those final words echoed through his mind.  Had Hux really meant that?  Did he really think that Ben was fine, just as he was?  More importantly, did it matter?  This man was a villain.  Then again, everyone had thought Vader was a villain, too.  Was it his  _ destiny _ to be a villain?  Could he even stop it if it was?  

With a long sigh, Ben turned his gaze aside, away from the General.  

Hux felt the heat of the other man’s eyes fall away like a ghost moving back into the shadows. A glance over his shoulder proved it and that shouldn’t make his chest feel the way it did. It shouldn’t pique his mind and make him wonder what it would be like to have those gold eyes on him in a different scenario. In a shower shared, a time where they would be tangled together, not in interrogation, but in--

With a shake of his head, the ginger turned back to the task of washing himself, doing it quickly and turning off the shower just as fast, letting the last of the water drip away from him before he glanced at his clothes. Padding over to a rack of towels, the General dried off as best he could before tying it around his waist.

“Is there...is there a change of clothes? Mine are dirty and bloody.” Hux kept his voice calm, now, unwilling to start another round of fighting.

“I found some clothes yesterday when I went scavenging for food,” he said with a shrug.  “I don’t know how well they’ll fit, but they’re clean, at least.  I didn’t think about bringing them to the showers, though.  You’ll have to wear the towel back.”  

Slowly, he turned his face back toward the General and, for the first time, allowed his eyes to truly take in the sight of the man before him.  He was slender and lithe, with smooth, pale skin, blemished only by a few battle scars and faint freckles.  He swallowed as a blush blossomed on his cheeks, and he looked away again, clearing his throat awkwardly.  

“I should replace the binders,” he said softly, scowling at the floor.  He didn’t want to, and the realization startled him.  But could he trust the man not to try anything?  He honestly didn’t know.  “I don’t…”  He trailed off, shaking his head.  “Don’t do anything stupid.  If you make one false move, the binders go back on, and don’t come off.  Do you understand me?” 

The ginger bit the inside of his cheek. A captor who didn't want to chain his prisoner? A trust built on what? Fleeting conversations that meant hardly anything? Sob stories and tragic pasts? Still, Hux didn't want to be back in his bonds. He liked being able to use his hands. More, he liked the freedom to believe in his false freedom.

  
"Fine," The General finally stated, nodding slowly. "I understand."

Ben nodded grudgingly and gestured with his head toward the door. "Let's go, then," he said, picking up the binders from the floor where Hux had kicked them.    
  
All the way back to the holding cell, Ben padded silently behind his prisoner, watching his every move and ready to freeze him in place if he set a toe out of line.  He did not speak, instead replaying the General's words over and over in his head.  "Too much like your grandfather...and there's nothing wrong with that."     
  
Ben tried to imagine living in a place where people regarded Darth Vader, not as someone to be feared and hated, but to be admired and respected. Perhaps that respect would even extend to him. The idea was intoxicating.     
  
And then there was the man walking in front of him. What would it be like to be on the same side with General Hux?  Before he could follow that thought any further, however, they had arrived back at Hux's cell, and he keyed in the passcode.    
  
Ben stretched out a hand toward his own room, and the stack of clothing he'd procured the day before came flying around to corner to his open hand.    
  
"Here," he said, shoving the clothes toward the toweled ginger.  Taking a step backward, he added, "I'll give you your privacy, then."

The ginger almost tripped over his feet as he was pushed inside, clothes wrapped in his arms as he sighed. He tried the door out of habit, pulling and pushing on it to test the lock before giving up and turning back to the room he was in. He placed the clothes on his bunk and sat beside them, not moving for a moment as he floated in his hopelessness. He was caged here. Stuck.   
  
With a heavy breath and a quick ruffle of his locks, the ginger stood once more, dropping his towel and taking the spare boxers, pulling them on and sending a small thanks to the stars for being clean once more. The black pants he pulled on clung to him, framing his legs. The shirt, however kept falling off him - too baggy, too loose, but clean.   
  
Assuming that his captor was still close, Hux made a little noise. He didn't want to admit it, but he hoped - he wanted to think that Ben was close, was within earshot. Would come back. "I...I'm dressed."

Though he wasn’t sure why, Ben had lingered outside Hux’s door while he dressed.  Perhaps the isolation was starting to affect him, or the worry that was starting to creep into his heart that something might have happened to his mother.  Or, perhaps it was his infatuation with the idea of being revered and admired that tethered him to the General.  Then again, maybe it was just the fact that, despite his desperate attempts to keep to the contrary, Ben was attracted to the man in some way.  

Whatever the reason, the moment he heard Hux call out that he was dressed, Ben opened the door and stepped back inside.  His eyes scanned the form of the ginger, and he immediately surmised that his clothing fit just about as well as the items he’d picked out for himself.  His lips quirked up in a half grin, in spite of himself.  

“Sorry I couldn’t find something more suitable.  In my defense, I was in a bit of a hurry.  But I can go back and look again, if you’d like.  There might be something that would fit better.”  He shrugged slightly, averting his gaze.  

Ben had the vague idea that he ought to go back to interrogating the General - trying to get some kind of information out of him - but his heart wasn’t in it.  He felt tired, weak, and (if he was completely honest with himself) a little nervous.  This situation was so unlike anything he’d ever been through before that he didn’t know how to proceed, and every time his eyes met with Hux’s, his heart leapt into his throat.  

“So…” he said, casting about for some direction.  

"So what?" Hux said softly, too tired of fighting, too tired of the struggles, too tired from being thrown around by magic and then spoken softly to. He was tired of being here, being caged, and only seeing his work from a distance. "What, Ben?"

Ben's eyes flickered up to meet Hux's.  It was the first time he could remember the man having simply called him 'Ben'.  Before, it had always been 'Ben Solo' or 'Mr. Solo' or some variation thereof.  Hearing his given name rolling off the tongue of this man in his stately Imperial-accented voice caused a shiver to run down his spine.  He liked it.  Too much.     
  
"So..." He sighed, feeling exhausted.  "Do you have a name?" he finally asked.  "I mean, a first name.  Or am I to believe you have only a title and surname?"

The ginger shrugged, then glanced to his side, walking back over his bed. He sat down to one side, silently inviting the man to come sit with him, if that was what he wanted.   
  
"Armitage," he stated lowly after a long pause. He debated saying more than that, but the scowl that appeared on his lips as he stated the name said more than anything else. "Calic."

Ben cocked his head slightly to one side, trying to work out which one of those was his actual name.  Judging by the look on the man’s face, he was guessing he should probably avoid using the name Armitage.  His eyes drifted from the General, down to the space on the bunk next to him.  Once more, he felt that inner struggle.  He wanted to go and sit next to him - to be near him.  But his rational side screamed at him not to be a food, and not to give in to such a feeble desire.  Fortunately for Ben Solo, his rational side almost never won out.  

He walked slowly across the room and took a seat next to Hux, glancing nervously from his own lap, to the floor, up to Hux’s hands in his lap, then to his face.  He could see it in his eyes - the uncertainty and weariness - shockingly similar to the emotions Ben knew must be swimming in his own eyes.  There was something else, too.  Something more primal.  

“I like the name Calic,” Ben said, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen over them.  “Do you mind me calling you that, if we’re on a first name basis, after all?”  

Hux didn’t want to answer that, didn’t want to admit that he would much rather drop the formality between them and accept that there was something that was awakened, here. Something in their heads that was different, now. And perhaps, for the ginger, it was all because of the dream he’d had a few nights ago, but, still, there was something there that just simply wasn’t present at the beginning of his captivity.

“Calic is fine,” the General finally answered, knowing that they would more likely than not soon find themselves back in that same power position that they once were - with Hux strapped to a table or bound at the wrists and Ben snapping questions at him and using the Force when his wit failed. “It’s my middle name, but I much prefer it.”

Ben nodded thoughtfully.  “Calic, it is, then,” he said, as if that decision solved all their problems.  “Truthfully, I’ve never really liked the name, Ben,” he confessed, though he had no idea what had prompted him to offer this information.  “It just never really felt like... _ me _ .  I suppose you know for whom I was named?” 

“Then rename yourself,” the ginger answered back instantly. “If you don’t like who you are, then do something about it. Don’t be ‘Ben Solo’. Make your own life.” Hux moved around, kicking his legs slightly before slumping back against the wall. “You’re so…” His brow furrowed. “You’re caged and you don’t even realize it.”

Ben felt his muscles tense.  “I didn’t say I didn’t like who I am.  I said I didn’t like the name ‘Ben’.  My name does not define me,  _ Armitage _ , any more than yours does, you.”  He huffed, staring down at the floor.  “And maybe I am caged.  But aren’t we all?  Nobody is completely free in this galaxy.  Everyone has something that is expected of them.” 

Swallowing around hearing that name - the name is father had given him, the name that never belonged to him, the name that he was given as a charity, not as a gift, a treasure. It was something that was held over him all his life. “Do you not think that I see how you feel about yourself? How you’ve started to believe everything that everyone says? Do you think you can hide the way that you’re being torn apart from the inside out? I changed my fate, Ben Solo. Step up and change yours.”

Ben turned and stared into those jade green eyes, searching for the truth behind them.  He needed to know whether this man really understood what had been going on in his mind and heart for so long now, or whether he was simply toying with him, like a cat with a bug that it bats around before biting it in half and spitting it out.  He wanted to reach into the General’s mind and extract his thoughts one by one - to know the truth.  But he knew that to do so would certainly not endear him to the other man, and besides, he was too weary to put forth the effort.  

“You keep saying that,” he observed quietly.  “You think you know what goes on in my head?  Maybe you understand me better than I think you do, but…”  He shook his head, looking down at his hands.  “Maybe you do know what it’s like, to try day after day, week after week, year after year to be something you know you’ll  _ never _ be.  Something you know everyone wants you to be -  _ expects _ you to be.”  He lifted his gaze to rest on Calic’s face once more and said, “You do, don’t you?”

The ginger didn’t answer. He spoke no words, for they were not needed as their gazes met. Those jade orbs - those windows to the General’s soul, were cracked and shattered. His spirit held together by nothing more than his own willpower, used tape, and glue that wouldn’t stick. It was something that Hux would never admit, would hide forever - he was so, so broken. He put his life toward being the emperor of the galaxy to change the way that his own story had been written for him - he set fire to the stars in hopes that new ones would shine in their wake.

He was a broken toy soldier on the Island of Misfit Toys.

“I do,” he finally whispered. “And I came out of it alive.”

Ben blinked back the tears he felt threatening to form.  He felt ridiculous, and certainly did not want General Hux to see him cry.  Yet, looking into the eyes of this man, he saw something he’d never seen before.  He saw a reflection of himself.  

Suddenly, he had the overwhelming urge to turn and take hold of the ginger - to pull him close and hold him tight, but pride or fear, or possibly both, held him back.  Ben looked down again at his hands, and then just a few inches over to Calic’s hand, pressed against the metal bunk between them.  Painfully slowly, he moved one hand to rest over Hux’s, stiffly at first, but then relaxing slightly.  The feeling of his skin against Ben’s sent chills rippling through his body and made his heart flutter madly.  He lifted his gaze from their hands to meet Hux’s eyes in an expression of fear, confusion, and longing.  

Trying to convince himself to pull away, the General’s eyes flicked back and forth between their hands and the honey colored eyes before him. So close. Close enough that if Hux leaned just a little closer and tilted his head…

Jade dropped back down to their hands. Slowly, almost gently, Calic removed his hand, only to turn it once it was free to take hold of Ben’s once more, fingers lacing together even though everything was screaming at Hux to shove him away. To lash out with words and sneers. To remember that he was sitting there with the man who’d captured him, not the man who could have  _ been _ him. Support. That’s all it was. Nothing more and there was no use in trying to see it any other way.

It was dangerous - because connection led to kinship which led to distraction. Individuality led to the want of more freedoms which led to rebellion.

Still, their hands remained locked together as Calic finally raised his eyes once more.

Ben breathed a sigh of relief as Hux returned the gesture, taking his hand and lacing their fingers together.  The tiniest hint of a smile tugged at his lips, and he averted his gaze, feeling shy.  Now what?  He had not been prepared for this.  Hadn’t formulated a plan for what to do if you feel yourself beginning to fall for your prisoner.  

That thought stopped him dead in the tracks of his thoughts.  Was he actually  _ falling _ for this man?  The idea terrified him, and yet, here he was holding hands with him - the General of the First Order!  It didn’t mean anything.  It couldn’t.  But then why did he want so badly to turn and kiss him?  To tangle his fingers in that fiery red hair?  

Ben felt like the walls were closing in on him.  He couldn’t breathe, and his heart was thumping out of his chest.  This was  _ wrong _ !  Then why did it feel so good?  Why did it feel  _ right _ ?

 “I…”  He started to speak, but his voice was choked, and came out as a squeak, and he blushed.  “I should go…” he said, after clearing his throat. 

‘Don’t do anything stupid. Don’t do anything stupid. Don’t do anything stupid,’ the ginger repeated to himself over and over. Even still, he leaned closer, turning his head at the last second to whisper into the taller man’s ear - voice low and accent lilting over each word like a jumprope.

“Passion, strength, power, and victory, Ben Solo, are what the dark side believes in. You  _ embody _ the code of the Sith and you know it,” Hux stated simply, pausing after his words faded away. “You are  _ more than this _ .”

With that, the General pulled away completely - body thrumming and heart beating from the closeness. He moved back to the other side of the cell, looking out the window once more at the skies he longed to return to. He wasn’t quite ready to admit to himself that he didn’t want to return alone.

Ben’s eyes fluttered closed and a soft shudder wracked his body as he felt the warm breath from Calic’s lips against his ear, and heard the words that were spoken.  He turned his head, muscles tense and body ready to reach out and grab the other man and kiss him hard, but he had already risen from the bunk and moved to the other side of the room.  His stomach lurched with a combination of thrill and disappointment, and then relief.  It was better this way, wasn’t it?  Try as he might, however, Ben couldn’t  _ quite _ convince himself of that.  

He stood, trying to catch his breath and still his racing heart.  He needed to get out of here, immediately.  He walked briskly to the door, but stopped before walking through it.  Heaving a deep breath, he turned over his shoulder and said softly, “You may be right.” 

With that, he walked out of the room and retreated back to his own cell. 

The ginger’s mind was blissfully silent that night, his dreams nothing but unending blackness that wrapped around him, left him floating in darkness as he drifted through slumber. It was better like this - without his own head playing tricks on him, he could just rest. Without images of he and his captor - those fantasies feeling so real as they came together, as they didn’t just have sex, but seemed to be making love.

Connection in war was dangerous. It led to loss, which led to rash decisions, which led to endangering everything that Hux had so carefully put together.

But, still, as the sun rose once more, the General couldn’t stop the way his chest felt heavy and his heart beat in sorrow. Collect. Control. That’s what he needed to do. To steel himself once more against whatever faced him that day. Calic forced himself to sit up, briefly forgetting that his hands were free until he actually moved them to wipe over his face.

Ben awoke to the sunlight streaming through the tiny window above his bunk.  His back ached from sleeping another night on the cold, hard parasteel bunk, and he immediately knew that his mother still had not arrived at the base.  His mind was clouded with doubt and confusion, and his heart seemed to sink into his stomach when he suddenly remembered what had happened the previous evening, between Hux and himself.  

He sat up with a groan and swung his legs over the edge of the bunk.  He really needed a shower, today.  He decided there was no point in disturbing Hux before that, so he quickly left his cell and, creeping quietly by the General’s cell, he made his way back to the supply room where he’d found the spare clothing before.  

It took him several minutes of rooting through boxes of garments before he found something he thought might fit him, but he managed to gather some things to comprise a somewhat complete outfit.  Bundling the clothes in a ball in his arms, he trudged down to the communal shower.  

Stepping into the shower room, Ben’s heart lurched.  Just yesterday he’d been here with Hux, bickering over whether he ought to turn around.  The General had accused him of staring, and of course he’d denied it, but as he stripped off his clothes and tossed them into a heap outside the shower area, he couldn’t help imagining what it would be like if Calic was here with him, now.  What would it feel like to run his hands over the smooth, pale skin, or to bury his fingers in the fiery red hair?  

His mind fought against these thoughts at first, but as the water began to steam, and he lathered the soap over his upper body, Ben surrendered to them.  It was only a fantasy, after all - harmless.  He wondered what someone like Calic would be like in bed.  Would he want to dominate - to be in complete control, as he was in his military persona?  Or did he harbor a secret craving to be brought into submission?  That thought made him shiver, as he rinsed the suds off his skin and watched them trail down the drain. 

Once he’d finished bathing, Ben dried himself with a towel and shimmied into the clothes he’d found.  Somehow, he’d managed to find some things that fit better than his outfit the previous day.  The pants were still a little snug, but he didn’t feel like they were about to burst at the seams, which was an improvement.  The shirt was just snug enough to hug his well-muscled chest and broad shoulders, but not overly tight.  

Walking over to the mirror, Ben ran his fingers through his shaggy hair in an effort to tame the unruly mop.  He was mildly successful in this, though it didn’t last very long.  With a sigh and a decisive nod at his reflection in the mirror, Ben Solo made his way back to General Hux’s cell. 

The ginger heard the other man’s footsteps approaching his door. It was still silent, then. They were still alone. Good - that gave Hux more time to figure out what he had to do to escape and how probable it would be to take the taller man with him. That - Ben returning to the First Order with the General - should not have been as important as it was to the slighter man. It shouldn’t matter, but for some reason, something told him that it did.

That it was important.

That Ben Solo had become his new mission objective, whatever that meant.

The sound of the door being pulled open filled his room. “Good morning, Mr. Solo.”

Ben stepped inside the room, heartrate immediately accelerating as his gaze fell on the General.  “Good morning,” he replied, as the door whooshed closed behind him.  “Did you sleep well?”  

It was a feeble attempt at conversation.  He knew that.  But his mind was blank, except for the images he’d conjured in his mind during his shower, and he doubted that would be an acceptable topic of conversation.  Then he remembered the way their hands had touched the night before, and the words Hux had whispered in his ear.  So close…

“Have you eaten?” he asked.

“That depends on whether or not you consider those expired rations food or not.” The ginger retorted, defenses back up once more as he watched the other man. They’d had a moment of bonding, perhaps - something akin to clarity - last night, but that didn’t mean that they were suddenly boon companions. “I had enough.”

More than anything, Hux found himself hating the unpredictability of the entire situation. He hated not knowing where they stood with one another and not being able to know when Ben’s anger would suddenly wash over him. When the man’s passion would overtake his reason.

“Still no sign of your Rebels, then?”

Ben bit the inside of his cheek.  He considered lying and telling Hux that his mother had, in fact, arrived in the night, and was simply resting.  But in the long run, he decided such a story would serve no purpose, and would only give Hux more cause to distrust him.  Better to be honest.  

“No.  No sign.”  He couldn’t quite explain the feeling rising in his chest as he uttered the words.  He had been concerned - even worried about what had been keeping his mother away.  Now, however, the realization that she had not yet arrived evoked only relief.  This revelation gave him pause.  What if this was somehow all part of Hux’s plan?  Had he laid some trap for Leia and Luke?  Did he know exactly where they were?  He could have been playing Ben the whole time.  

Nothing was clear anymore.  Nothing.  

“Do you know something you’re not telling me?” he asked, knowing even as he said it that if Hux really did have inside information, he wouldn’t share it with Ben.  

The General shrugged in return. “I know a lot of things that I’m not telling you, Solo. And as it is--get out of my head, I can feel you trying to sneak in there. You’ve already had your fun in my mind, Ben Solo. If you want anything from me, you best find a new way of obtaining it.”

Even as the ginger spoke with such confidence, he stepped backward and put more distance between the two of them as though that would help at all - as though a few more inches would matter with the Force. Still, it made him feel as though he was at least attempting to stand up against the man’s magic.

Ben closed his eyes and huffed in frustration.  “Why is it always the same with you, Hux?” he breathed, eyes reopening to fix the General with a glare.  “Is this all just a game to you?  Do you derive that much pleasure from making me angry?  I’m asking you if you know where my mother is.”  

Ben began to walk in the direction of his captive, slowly closing the space between them in long, steady strides, like a cat stalking vermin in tall grass.  “Just this one time, would you please give me a straight answer?” 

“Your mother thought that fighting off the Finalizer in a shuttle would work well. If she did manage to escape from my fleet with that damned magic, then she’s not in good shape. Have you ever stopped to think,” the General added as he backed up, pressing against the wall. “That maybe, just  _ maybe _ she shoved you off to some place with me because she didn’t want you getting in the way?”

Ben continued his long strides across the room until he was standing directly in front of the General, glaring at him.  How was it possible for one person to have crawled under his skin so thoroughly?  He couldn’t think of a single person, over the course of his entire life, who had managed to evoke such extremes of emotion from him in such a short period of time.  

There was only a space of a few inches between them, now, and Ben could feel his heart pounding out of his chest.  He could sense the nervous energy wafting off the other man in drifts, as well, and the feeling only served to excite him further.  Quickly, he thrust forward a hand, grabbing Hux by the jaw and lifting his face to look into his own.  In a soft voice, he said, “Do you take pleasure in torturing me?” 

The ginger’s eyes locked with those of the taller man. They were too close, the tension between them too fickle in nature as it bounced back and forth between heated and angered. But he didn’t try to move away, and that struck him a moment too late, for, now, there was no where he could go. Nothing he could make himself do other than stay where he was, frozen in place by his captor’s gaze and baritone voice.

“Torture is not meant to be pleasant, Mr. Solo, no matter what side of it you’re on.” It wasn’t an answer and they both knew it.

Ben roughly released his grip on the General’s chin, shoving him back against the wall as he scoffed.  He did not move away, however, though his mind and emotions warred loudly inside his head and heart.  He felt out of control - completely at a loss.  It didn’t matter what he said or did.  It didn’t matter what question he asked.  Hux was always a step ahead of him, sneering back over his shoulder in the most infuriating way.  He wasn’t sure whether he wanted to choke the life out of him, or kiss him so hard that it took his breath away.  

“You think you’ve got all the answers, don’t you?” he said under his breath, almost in a whisper.  “You think you are invincible - that you hold all the cards.  Well, you don’t.  I can take whatever I want, General Hux.  It’s just us, now.  My mother’s not here to save you.”  

Ben’s eyes burned with a volatile blend of anger and lust, and he leaned forward slightly, so that he could feel Hux’s breath on his face.  His eyes slipped closed as he breathed in the other man’s scent, and a soft shiver rippled over his body.  He reached out with one hand to trace the line of Calic’s cheekbone with his fingertips, gasping softly as he made contact.  He shook his head, still holding onto the barest strand of control over his impulses, but the rope was fraying faster by the moment.  

Ben opened his eyes and locked them onto the jade spheres before him.  “What’s your next move, now, General Hux?”  he asked. 

Breath hitching, the ginger stared, wide-eyed, at the taller man. A shiver ran through his body and as much as he wanted to convince himself that it was out of repulsion, he couldn’t lie to himself. Perhaps there was a bit of confusion and fear and a plethora of other feelings pulsing through his body, but he couldn’t deny that there was excitement, there, too. And a sort of longing that he had never felt before.

Control, collect, control, collect.

But how was he supposed to control anything when the man before him was shattering all his defenses before he could even pick the pieces back up from the ground.

“Escape,” the General stated vaguely, obviously, as he continued whatever game they were now playing.

Ben shook his head, swallowing hard.  “I can’t…” he started to say, but immediately stopped.  He would not show weakness.  Not now.  Not to Hux.  He clenched his jaw and let his hands drift down to Hux’s shoulders, one on either side, and gripping the fabric of his t-shirt.  His hands balled into fists in the thin fabric and his gaze did not waver.  

“ _ I _ am in control, here, Hux,” he said.  “I am not going to let you escape.”  He blinked, realizing that this statement could be interpreted in more than one way.  “You are  _ my _ prisoner,” he said by way of clarification.  

If Ben’s heart had been pounding any harder, it would surely had torn right through his chest, and his breath was now ragged.  They were so close.  So very close.  His desire to close the gap between them in a lock of lips only frustrated him further, and with a sudden burst of strength, he ripped Hux’s shirt right down the center, exposing his pale chest that rose and fell with his own ragged breath.  Ben’s eyes trailed downward, and for a moment he was almost confused by what he’d done.  Nothing made sense to him in that moment - he was quickly losing control, and he found with a jolt of terror and excitement that he didn’t even care.  His eyes darted back up to Hux’s, searching the other man for some reaction.  

Jade eyes widened as the slighter man’s shirt was torn apart, leaving him more or less exposed and quivering in the cool air around them. He told himself to shove Ben away, but found himself, again, unwanting. He screamed that he should be cursing the man and remind him with sharp words that he was beneath the General, but his silver tongue lay still. Hux told himself a great many things that he should do, but none of them turned into action.

Instead, after a few shuddering breaths and a silence that seemed to stretch on for hours, days, years, but was only a few seconds, Calic moved. Pale hands raised slowly without a word being spoken between them, and then moved to rest against the wall on either side of the General’s head, giving Ben his full submission.

Ben’s eyes widened in surprise and confusion as the other man lifted his hands.  His eyes darted from place to place - from the raised hands to his exposed chest, then to his face again.  A soft sound emanated from somewhere deep in his chest - a mournful mewling sound as the last shred of his control frazzled and snapped. 

The next moment, Ben lunged forward, hands rising to meet the General’s, lacing their fingers together and pinning them against the wall as his mouth crashed into Hux’s with a gasping growl.  His mind reeled - explosions of red and yellow firing being his eyelids as he pressed his body fully against the other man’s and thrust his tongue into Hux’s mouth.  

Arching against the taller man, Hux whined, feeling the fabric of the other man’s shirt against his bare chest. Heat shot through him in waves that blanked out his mind and through all his thoughts out the window. It didn’t matter, nothing mattered in that moment outside of the tongue in his mouth and the body against his own.

The war stopped, the struggle, the constant back and forth power dynamic between them as they both fought to advance their own agendas. Calic’s fingers squeezed against Ben’s as he slowly rocked their hips together in a silent wanting for more. A silent hope that this wasn’t just a way to play with his mind and get the answers that Ben sought.

That thought faded away as well until the General was glued in the moment once more, lips moving against his captor’s.

Ben pulled away, just as abruptly as he had lunged forward.  His eyes searched Hux’s, still unsure.  Sensing no resistance from the General, he took a step backward and pulled his own shirt over his head, tossing it aside and stepping forward once more.  His hands tangled in Hux’s hair as his lips found the other man’s again, and he leaned forward, groaning as he felt the growing arousal in Hux’s pants to match his own.  With that realization, every reservation his mind had latched onto flew out the window.  

[Maker…] Without realizing what he was doing, Ben shot the thought straight into Hux’s mind as his hands moved from the ginger hair, raking down his back.  His palms smoothed over the General’s backside, squeezing hard, before moving to the front of his pants and unbuttoning them.  

Calic came to life once more, his hands instantly dropping to the taller man’s belt, unlooping it and dropping it off to the side, hearing the clink of the metal buckle hitting the ground. Shaking his head and breaking the kiss, the ginger gazed up into the darkening eyes of Ben Solo - the shade changing now from something very different than anger. “I-I heard you,” he panted, long fingers dipping beneath the waistband of the Force user’s trousers in a tease. “In my head.”

Not waiting for any kind of reply, Hux pressed their lips together once more arching his lower back and hips off the wall to help Ben remove his pants while his hands undid his captor’s, his very possibly soon-to-be lover’s. Pale fingertips glided across the muscles before him - that toned chest and the prominent ‘V’ of Solo’s hips. Maker, the man was built like an ancient sculpture. 

[Sorry...something...it’s just...Force…] Ben decided he could explain himself later.  He gasped as the General undid his pants, and he returned the favor, shoving Hux’s pants down over his hips, and his boxers along with them.  He pulled away for a moment, letting his eyes sweep downward over Hux’s lithe form.  He’d seen him naked just the day before, but this was different.  This was up close and personal, and this time, his long figure was punctuated by an impressive arousal.  

Ben shimmied slightly, helping to rid himself of his pants, exposing himself completely to the ginger General - this man who seemed to be able to see straight into his soul.  Now he could see Ben’s body, as well.  

A blush overtook pale cheeks as the redhead’s gaze lowered between them, trailing over the other man’s body before snapping back up to see his face once more. Desire sparked through him like lightning across the sky, igniting his body with a heat that almost confused Hux in its intensity. The pink on his face spread over the bridge of his nose, finishing the dusting of a flush that stained his face.

A pale hand brushed over Ben’s collarbone, slowly making its way down his body as its twin stayed resting on the taller man’s shoulder. When they reached it, long fingers wrapped around his captor’s length, stroking over it and feeling the heaviness of it in his palm. Even as he swallowed around the voice in his head reminding him of his duties, of his profession, of the entire situation, Hux whispered, “I want…”

Ben swallowed thickly, eyes trained on Hux’s even as he shivered beneath the touch on his length.  He nodded encouragingly.  “You want… Tell me what you want,” he said hoarsely, feeling his member twitch in Hux’s grasp.  

The ginger glanced down between them, then back up once more, his hands slowly moving away from the taller man to return to the wall once more, feeling the roughness of it and the way that it scraped over the palms of his hands. He didn’t mind a little roughness, certainly, but this was not the place to do it. Any of it.

Gently pushing Ben backward, Hux walked them over to the bunk. It wasn’t comfortable, it wasn’t ideal, but it would work. Sinking down upon it, Calic pulled the Force user with him, settling on his back and gazing up at the Solo. With his hands falling against the blanket, he finally answered. “Fuck me.”

Having willingly climbed over the General, and now gazing down at him with lust burning in his eyes, Ben bit down on his lip and nodded.  He couldn’t even count the number of times he’d envisioned this scenario in his mind over the past 96 hours, and now that it was here, he was beside himself with anticipation.  He groaned, though, when he realized that he had nothing to use as a lubricant, aside from his own saliva.  That was less than ideal, but the urgency he felt in his core was unyielding, and he was not about to hold it back any longer.  

Lifting one large hand to his mouth, he spat into his palm, twice, and smoothed the saliva over his fingers.  He reached down between their bodies and firmly thrust one finger inside Hux’s opening, quickly followed by a second.  He made quick work of this preparation as his own body screamed out for attention.  

Pulling out, he spat into his hand again, and swiped it over his length before positioning himself and pushing inside all at once.  He gasped, and buried his face in the crook of Hux’s neck, taking the tender flesh between his teeth even as he nuzzled there.  “Fuck…” he groaned, as he began to move inside the other man. 

Hux’s back arched as he cried out, head turned slightly to the side to give Ben as much room as he wanted at his neck. He tugged at the blanket beneath him for only a moment more as his body lit up with a delicate mix of pain and pleasure that caused his mind to flatline for a moment - overwhelmed after so many days of dancing around the tension between them. He dragged his nails down Ben’s chest, leaving marks, that would fade much faster than the ginger would have liked, in their wake - a little claim to the man above him. A little showing of ‘no matter what happens after today, I was here, I had you’.

With a slight roll of his hips, Calic wrapped one leg around Ben’s hips, giving himself the leverage needed to push back onto each thrust. “Maker, oh...ah!” The General squeaked and whimpered.

Ben felt as though his chest would explode as his heart hammered out a frenetic rhythm.  He held nothing back, thrusting into his enemy-turned-lover hard and repeatedly.  His mouth moved from Hux’s neck back to his lips in a heated kiss, and he parted his lips to push his tongue back into the other’s mouth, tangling with Hux’s in a wet tango.  

One hand snaked between their bodies, firmly grasping Calic’s length and pressing it upward against his belly so that each thrust of his hips rubbed over the head, and he whimpered into the General’s mouth as he felt the pressure building in his pelvis.  Pulling back from the kiss, Ben took Hux’s lower lip between his teeth and tugged until it slipped out of his grasp.  He looked down at the other man through heavy-lidded eyes, panting hard as he slammed into him again and again.  

Calic cried out on each punishing thrust, lost in the haze of the moment as he gazed up at the man - his captor, his sole companion on this empty planet, and now his lover. His lithe body writhed and rolled, drawing Ben ever deeper into his body and grinding his own arousal up against the toned stomach. He couldn’t hold on, and the breathy sounds that were tumbling from between his parted lips voiced that.

With a final arch to his back, the General hit his release, body shuddering and seed painting the Force user’s stomach with streaks of white as the ginger tossed his head back and clawed down Ben’s front once more. “Maker! Force!!” He yelled out, shaking his head to focus one last time. “Inside...You can...inside…”

Ben groaned, letting go of whatever control he had left.  His head snapped backward and he cried out as he climaxed, shooting his seed deep inside the General.  His hips bucked frantically as he rode out his orgasm, panting and gasping until he was completely dry.  “Oh, Force…” he moaned, finally finding his breath again.  He pulled out and flopped down on the hard bunk next to the General, heart pounding and body utterly spent.  

He draped an arm across Hux’s chest, not caring about the semen that pooled there, nor the thin sheen of sweat that glistened on their skin.  His hair clung to his head, dampened with perspiration, and one leg was flung across Calic’s.  He wanted to speak - to say anything at all - but there were simply no words, and none were needed.  Finally, the two men understood one another, completely.  

The ginger’s body twitched and shuddered, his entire being feeling like a live wire - sensitive and sparking as he slowly came back to himself. His mind was utterly silent. All those voices telling him what was right and wrong, reminding him of his position and rank, were gone. Sated, it would seem, for the time being as he allowed himself to be wrapped up by his lover.

Turning in the man’s hold, Calic shifted until he was facing Ben, laying on his side with their faces just inches away from one another. Slender fingers moved up to tuck a few inky locks behind the taller man’s ear, brushing it away from his face so that he could trace over Ben’s features. Slowly, as if still making sure that it was alright, Hux leaned forward to press their lips together in a barely-there kiss.

It would be different, now, wouldn’t it? Probably, even though Hux would never give up information and Ben would most likely never stop trying to get it. But now there was something more. There was a connection between them, even if it was just a stolen moment.

“I heard you in my head,” Calic reminded his lover softly. “How?”


	6. Black Suits You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that it's taken me so long to update! I'm publishing a nice long chapter to try and make up for the past month's neglect. I hope you enjoy! XOXO

Ben smiled lazily as Calic traced his features, returning the soft kiss that was pressed to his lips.  He had momentarily forgotten about his accidental mental projection, until the General asked him again in a soft voice - so different from the way he had spoken to Ben before.  

“Well,” he began, his own voice barely more than a whisper, “You know that I can extract information from people’s minds.  It’s similar to that, only the reverse.  It’s a sort of mental link, though I’ve only ever shared it with my mother and uncle in the past - with the people I’ve felt closest to.”  

Ben’s eyes drifted down to Hux’s lips and he leaned in to kiss them once more.  He liked that - the way the General’s lips felt against his own.  He liked the way he tasted, and the feeling that swelled in his chest whenever they touched.  

“I’m sorry if I startled you with it,” he added.  “I didn’t mean for it to happen. Sometimes I...well, I lose control a little.”  He blushed, embarrassed about this revelation, though he supposed everyone must have times when they lose control in some way.  The difference was that when he lost control, there was no telling what might happen. 

Hux traced the shape of Ben’s lips with a soft hum, taking in the words as they were spoken to him. He still didn’t understand the Force - still could only define it as magic and probably would always see it as a sorcerer’s trick rather than anything based in spirituality or science. But, then, he supposed that it didn’t matter, since he wasn’t sensitive to it.

“It startled me, but it’s fine. I much preferred you putting a thought into my mind than trying to extract one,” Calic’s voice was steady as his hand fell away and he kissed the man once more. He didn’t know why, yet, but he liked that - liked kissing Ben. Liked knowing that he  _ could _ . Stretching his back slightly and humming softly, the slighter of the two made a soft sound, feeling the soreness creeping into his body.

A reminder of what had transpired.

‘Snoke knows the Force,’ Hux idly thought, unaware of how surface-level it was in his mind. ‘He could teach Ben control. I’ve seen what he can do.’

Ben frowned slightly as he heard these thoughts.  “If we’re going to...well...I mean…”  He sighed, and started over again.  “If you and I are going to be spending any amount of time in one another’s company, I should tell you that I can hear what you’re thinking.  Not always, but...it’s hard to explain, but there are certain thoughts that you bury deep inside - your most private thoughts.  Those are the thoughts that I can only reach by extracting them forcefully.  But superficial thoughts, like what you just did… I don’t even have to really try to hear those.”  

He paused, hoping that Hux would not be angered or offended by this information.  “It is a blessing and a curse,” he said with a small smile, trying to lighten the mood slightly. 

The ginger’s eyes hardened for a moment, not liking the idea of his thoughts being heard, no matter how superficial they were. A few blinks, though, and the ice in them was gone once more, leaving being calmness and a splash of coolness.

“Whether or not you’re in my head, my thinking is valid. The Supreme Leader is powerful. I’ve seen the things he can do, Ben, and trust me when I say that you have only scratched the surface,” Hux finally said, keeping his tone soft. “You need a teacher who can show you both the dark and the light side of the Force and I doubt that your uncle is willing to do that.”

Ben considered this piece of information.  He had heard rumors about the Supreme Leader, and his use of the Force, but he’d been unclear on exactly how deeply his Force abilities ran.  It was said that he was not a true Sith, which made Ben question his devotion to the Dark Side, but he was obviously not a Jedi, either.  

“How do I know he wouldn’t just kill me?  Get me out of the way?” he asked.

“Because he’s been watching you,” came the answer. Straightforward. “Stop. No. Don’t get mad at me for finally giving you an answer outright. Snoke has known about you for years, Ben. He can feel the darkness within you and has killed many spies who have failed to get to you.”

The General shifted around in the man’s hold, getting more comfortable. “You could be more than your grandfather, your uncle, your mother ever could be. You just need to be able to control yourself.”

Ben was not sure how to take this piece of news.  Snoke had been watching him? Hunting him?  Trying to get to him?  For how long?  Why had he not been aware of it?  

The answer was, of course, staring him right in the face.  Leia had known all along, and had kept it from him.  Just one more secret in a long line of secrets.  

“I see,” he said simply, his mind still too clouded with the lingering afterglow to delve too deeply into this line of thought.  Instead, he forced a smile and said, “Thank-you.  That was...well.  It was really good.”  

Hux chuckled lowly in return. “I think I should be thanking you in this case, but sure. Maker, I’m going to feel you for a few days,” he added as an afterthought, letting their conversation drop away as he pressed a few kisses to the man. “I don’t suppose that you’d offer me another shower?”

The request was mostly in jest, but the General would be lying if he said that a quick wash didn’t sound incredibly tempting.

“And maybe even a new shirt, unless it was your plan all along to have me walking around half naked.”

“Well, I hadn’t really  _ planned _ it that way, but...it’s not a bad idea.”  Ben chuckled softly, and heaved himself up to a sitting position.  He was just about to say that the next time they had sex, he’d be sure to locate something to use for lubrication, but he stopped himself before the words could tumble out.  Who ever said there was going to be a next time?  Nothing was certain.  Just because they’d had sex one time didn’t mean that they were in a relationship.  

“I could go for a shower, myself,” he said instead.  “If you don’t mind some company.  I actually just finished showering before I came in here, but I seem to have soiled myself.”  He grinned, stretching his arms above his head and sliding off the bunk to stand up.  

Jade eyes gazed up at the other man, lower lip caught between his teeth. His head tilted slightly, taking in the image of Ben - committing it to memory in case he was never able to see him again. And that wouldn’t be surprising. They had been lost in the moment. It didn’t change the fact that Hux was still a captive, and Ben was still his captor. One round of sex, no matter how good it had been, didn’t change anything.

“Well, I’m normally a very private person,” Calic stated as he pushed himself up and twisted his back a few times. “But, in this case, I think I can make an exception. Just this once.” A playful smirk appeared on his lips as his mind repeated one thing over and over to himself. He hoped that this wasn’t going to be a one time thing.

“You should really smile more often,” Ben said, admiring the ginger’s sleek form and playful grin.  “I think that may be the first time I’ve actually seen you smile, without there being malice behind it.”  He reached out a hand to pull Calic up to his feet.  It was so tempting to drop all his defenses - to act like they’d been friends since boyhood - but he knew it would be unwise.  He couldn’t be completely sure of the other man’s intentions.  General Hux was quick witted and sharp as a tack, and he’d thrown Ben for a loop more than once since his captivity had begun.  It would be foolish, even now, to let down his guard entirely.  However, that didn’t mean they had to revert entirely.  

“I’m honored, General, that you would allow me to accompany you,” he teased.  “And...I have a confession to make.”  He offered a sheepish grin, cheeks blushing lightly as he turned aside long enough to locate his boxer shorts on the floor and step into them quickly.  “I might have actually been ogling you yesterday.  Just a little bit.  Maybe.”  

“Just a little?” Hux hummed in return, not letting go of the hand holding his own for a moment before he sauntered over to find his discarded boxers, picking them up off the floor and pulling them on with a little shimmy of his hips. He picked up the pants, folding them over his arm before turning back to look at Ben. Jade eyes glanced at the ruined shirt before shrugging. “That’s not really useful anymore I suppose.”

With that, he moved back toward his lover, holding out his free arm to the man with a knowing look. “I know you aren’t stupid enough to just let me stroll through those halls.”

Ben looked down at the General’s arm.  He knew he needed to maintain some form of control, but the thought of putting those binders back on Calic’s wrists was repulsive to him.  Instead, he simply reached out his hand and took the ginger’s in his own, interweaving their fingers together firmly.  

“I think this will suffice,” he said softly, glancing down at their hands and then back up to meet Hux’s gaze.  A small smile tugged at his lips and he wagged his head in the direction of the showers.  “Let’s go,” he said, and started down the hall.   

Calic wasn’t entirely sure how we felt about the connection of their hands - about the domestic feel of it and the blurring of lines between prisoner and relationship. It felt too soft. Too gentle after all that had happened between them and who they were in the grander scheme of the war. Regardless, he kept the hold he had on Ben’s hand and walked with him. 

It was different, now, to be walking into the showers. Less restrictive and much more natural, and that alone set the ginger on edge for an entirely different reason.

Dropping his pants and peeling his boxers back off, the General stepped away from Ben to turn on the shower, letting it warm up for a moment as he moved back over to the taller man to wrap his arms over broad shoulders, fingers lacing into black hair. “You’re so handsome.”

Ben hadn’t really known what to expect upon entering the showers.  Everything felt so different than it had the day before.  Where there was tension, anxiety and animosity yesterday, there was now a comfortable familiarity between them, mixed with an ample amount of unimpeded attraction.  He smiled, slipping his arms around the ginger’s waist.  

“Do you think so?” he asked, hating the blush he knew must be rising to his cheeks at the compliment.  “You’re not so bad, yourself, you know,” he countered, laughing softly.  He felt giddy - lighthearted.  He felt that he wanted to open up completely and spill the most secret contents of his heart, but he knew it wouldn’t be wise to do so.  Then again, when had Ben Solo ever been bound by conventional wisdom?  

“From the moment I first saw you, I knew I wanted to either kill you or fuck you,” he confessed.  “And yes, I’m aware of how utterly romantic that sounds.”  Ben grinned, averting his gaze to the stream of water that had begun to steam gently.  “I think the water’s ready,” he said.  

The ginger’s skin flushed with warmth from both the steam and from the way his chest tightened. He walked backward, pulling them both under the water and letting it cascade down around them. Hux stayed there for a few moments more, staring up at the man with jade eyes that glimmered with thoughts and words left unspoken.  A breath later, Calic slowly turned around, letting the hot water run over his face and chest before wiping it out of his eyes and running his fingers through his hair.

“Tell me, Ben. Are you going to shower or just stand there all day looking at my backside?” The General sent a smirk over his shoulder, arching an eyebrow. “Not that I disapprove, but I just thought there might be a better time and place.”

Ben turned aside, an embarrassed grin playing at his lips as he was caught out.  He shrugged, and stepped up beside Hux under the steaming spray.  He lifted his face and let the water wash over him, closing his eyes and opening his mouth to let the water touch his every surface.  He lifted his hands to brush the wet hair back from his face and turned to look at Hux.  

He couldn’t help but let his eyes wander, though.  The General’s skin seemed to shimmer with the way the water kissed it, and the way his eyelashes dampened and clung together made his eyes look large and innocent.  Ben turned to face him and reached out to cradle Hux’s face in his hands, smoothing his hair back.  He wanted to speak, but words failed him, and once again he was overcome by the urge to close the gap between them.  This time, he did not resist.  There was no reason to resist anymore, so he simply leaned forward and pressed their lips together.  

The ginger’s smile was hidden against the Force user’s lips, his arms wrapping around Ben’s torso before his hands wandered around to the front of his lover’s chest, finally taking the time to just slowly work over the smooth skin before him, trailing over the muscles as Calic pulled back from the kiss and looked down at where his hands had settled.

It was different. Something had shifted between them and the General knew the source. When they came together, when they decided on a whim to turn from interrogation to sex, so many things fell out of place and so many more just clicked. It wasn’t exactly something that he had been trained for, but Hux would work out exactly how to deal with it and how to--

“Ever had sex in the shower? Holding someone up on the wall?”

Or he could ignore his training and just push forward.

Ben tried to hide the surprise in his expression, but was largely unsuccessful.  “I...um…”  Truth be told, Ben Solo’s sexual experiences had been relatively limited in scope and nature.  The way he and Calic had come together had been so far from the norm for him, that he could barely believe it had happened at all.  

“No,” he finally said.  “No, I haven’t, but I think I’m about to.”  

His lips spread into a wide smile as he backed the ginger up to the wall behind him and pressed their bodies together.  “I don’t know what it is about you,” he murmured, leaning forward to kiss and nip at the General’s neck.  “It’s like you’re inside my head...inside my soul...And I just...have to...have you.” 

A shiver ran through Hux as he bared his neck to the other man, his body responding and warming under his touch and in the steam that filled the air around them, fogging up the room until they could only see one another. A veil of privacy on a base that they had all to themselves.

“I told you...before, Ben, that I didn’t need special powers to know what you were thinking. Consider it a warning next time I say something like that.” Despite the way that the words themselves seemed clipped, they were spoken in a light tone, almost like a tease. With his arms wrapped back around the taller man’s shoulders, Calic had the leverage he needed to pull himself up onto the Solo’s hips, long legs wrapping around Ben’s body.

“Maker, you are unfairly strong, do you know that?”

Ben shrugged, grinning as Hux wrapped his legs around his hips.  His arms looped beneath the ginger’s thighs, offering support, and he leaned into the wall, effectively pinning the other man there.  “I do a lot of training exercises,” he offered, reaching over to the small ledge that jutted out from the shower wall, and grabbing the bar of soap he found there.  

Ben pulled away from his position at Hux’s neck to look him in the eyes.  At this close proximity, he took the opportunity to study them, taking note of each hue and shade, and committing them to memory.  “Force, you are beautiful,” he whispered.  

Taking the soap in one hand, he turned it over a few times, coating his fingers with the slick suds before dropping the soap and reaching down to swipe his length.  Tilting his hips forward, he slowly pushed up as he lowered the other man down onto him.  There was no rush, now - no urgency.  Ben kept his eyes open and locked on those of his lover, even as his lips parted in a soft gasp when he entered.  

Hux’s breath caught in his throat as he was pressed into, his body still sensitive and crying out for more - but slowly. “Oh, Maker,” he whispered, gaze staying where it was on the man before him. Slender fingers slipped into dark waves of hair, tugging lightly out of instinct as he was settled, hips to hips, onto the man. Pressed into at a deeper angle, the General whimpered, the tip of Ben’s arousal teasing his prostate with each little micro-movement they gave as they adjusted.

How did this feel so right? How did it feel like he was being completed by the other man - his captor, his interrogator - instead of wanting to shove him away? Because, Calic had to admit, he didn’t want that. He wanted to stay close, wanted to join again and again. He wanted to remember what it felt like to be with Ben Solo, and that was something that he just couldn’t get over. 

“Okay,” the ginger finally said, leaning in for a quick kiss. “You can move, now. Slowly, this time, if you don’t mind.”

Ben nodded his consent, and began to slowly roll his hips, making sure to keep a firm grip on the General as he did so.  He buried his face against Hux’s neck, placing open-mouthed kisses and licks against his skin, whining softly as he moved in and out in slow, deliberate motions.  His mind was clouded from the overwhelming sensations that enveloped his whole body, and the only thought that kept playing through his consciousness was how this was possible.  How was any of this possible, when he had very nearly killed this man a few days earlier?  Yet now, here they were, tangled up in the most intimate of encounters.  Perhaps the most alarming realization was that he didn’t even care.  It felt more right than anything in his entire life.  And whether it went on forever, or it ended tomorrow, he intended to hold onto it like a drowning man to a life preserver.  

Ben’s hands gripped Hux’s backside, and he began gently lifting and lowering the other man in time with the steady thrusts of his hips, giving him a deeper, slightly different angle.  He groaned softly as the tip of his arousal was teased with each thrust.  Once more, his mind reached out without his conscious permission, and he projected, [Maker...so good...so perfect...don’t want it to stop...not ever.]

Soft sounds were wrung from the ginger as he was bounced atop the taller man. Unbeknownst to him, Hux was answering back to Solo, his mind brushing against his lover’s as a connection between them sparked to life - inadvertent, unplanned. [So big...so...Force! There! Oh, Maker!]

Calic cried out, back arching and eyes widening as a shock of pleasure ripped through him, sending a wave of shudders over his body. “A-Again! Right there, Ben, please, again!”

His request was quickly answered, the hands on his hips raising and lowering him as the taller man thrusted into his lithe form, pace unyielding and pleasure unrelenting. Hux rolled with each motion, rocking his hips and grinding against his lover in an ongoing cycle as he let Ben dictate their speed, but not the way they moved together. [So good...never stop...don’t let me go.] 

Ben’s grip on Hux’s hips tightened reflexively when he heard the General’s voice in his head.  He had known - had sensed from the very beginning, that there was something between them that went beyond the ordinary and commonplace.  There was a spark there - an electricity that could no longer be denied, and it thrilled him to his core.  

He angled himself as best he could to hit the spot Hux had indicated, his own pleasure heightening with each thrust as he heard and felt his lover’s body responding to his attentions.  Never in his life had he felt so connected to another person, physically or emotionally.  How strange that the person he would want so desperately to give himself to was his mortal enemy.  At least, they  _ had _ been enemies.  Now, their relationship had become infinitely more complicated.  

“Force, Hux!” he cried out, feeling a sort of reverberation of the General’s sensations in addition to his own.  His knees were beginning to tremble as he felt his body approaching another climax, so soon after the first.  “Maker, I’m not going to last…” he gasped, eyes pinched closed in concentration as he continued his movements.  With a shuddering cry, Ben’s hips bucked upward as he released his essence into his lover, gasping and panting.  

The General didn't last much longer. His hips rolled a few more times out of rhythm with Ben. Whimpers and groans fell from him until a near shout tore through him as he came between them, back arching off the wall as he hit his release. White splattered onto both of them, quickly washed away by the water still dripping from the shower. Hux’s body trembled and shuddered, utterly spent and overstimulated. He keened, hips slowly coming to a stop in their grinds as he held onto the taller man, hiding his face in Ben's neck as he tried to regulate his breathing.

Everything about this was wrong of him. All of it went against his training. No where was he told ‘hold out against pain, but if a ruggedly handsome Force user comes along, make sure you bed him at least twice. In fact, contemplate giving him the ride of his life later’. [Maker, so...Force...don't want to stop. Want him. Keep him.]

Ben’s legs felt like jelly, and he was quite certain that if it hadn’t been for the Force, he would have collapsed right then and there.  As it was, he summoned all his strength to gently lift the General off of himself and place him upright on his own feet.  His chest was still heaving as his arms, once free of their burden, shot forward to rest against the wall on either side of Hux’s head.  

He knew Hux probably hadn’t meant for him to hear those last thoughts, but he didn’t care.  It was an echo of what his own heart was saying, and before he could talk himself out of it, he leaned in fully and connected with Calic in a slow, tender kiss, and replied, [It’s ok...I want you, too...Please, keep me.]

[How did he..?] The question trailed off in their minds as the ginger suddenly realized what had happened, just how much he was connected to Ben Solo. Just how dangerous that connection was and how it proved that he couldn’t let the man go. If they were to be linked this way, then leaving this man with the Resistance was out of the question. He couldn’t be in the First Order General’s mind and left to live in the Resistance.

Pulling back slowly, Calic gazed up at the taller male - at the golden eyes and the hair darker than the space between stars. The skin that was dotted with freckles and birthmarks like the splatter of in on a page of white. Off-white, Hux realized. Off-white because there was a subtle tan to the Force user. [Then you’re mine,] the ginger thought, directing it at the man before him. [But only if you don’t let me go, either, Ben.]

Ben smiled, relieved that he hadn’t been rebuffed for his unintentional eavesdropping on the other man’s thoughts.  “How could I?” he asked, simply.  “How could I ever let you go, now?  Maker, you have unraveled me to my core.  If I let you walk away now, it would destroy me.”  

He pushed off the shower wall with his palms to run them down Calic’s back, pulling him close against Ben’s chest.  He reached out with one hand and the towel came rushing to meet it.  Taking a step back, Ben unfolded the towel and began gently running it over the General’s glistening skin before finally wrapping it around his waist and tucking the end in to secure it in place.  Then, he repeated the process with his own towel.  

“I’d like to go back to...somewhere...and lie down for a while.  With you.  Is that alright?” he asked.

A million responses coursed through the ginger’s mind - escape plans and warning signs, sparks of hope and dreams of destruction. When it came down to answer, though, the only thing that rang out clear in his mind was that the idea of just simply lying down with another person seemed so foreign to him. Hux had never been one to make a personal connection to anyone - his soldiers were pawns, his officers, rooks and knights, his spies were important bishops. But never had Calic thought that his playing board would hold a king and queen.

With a slow smirk on his lips and a devious glint in his eyes, the General responded in a voice that was nowhere near as snarky as it normally was - not at all close to the coldness that had wrapped around it when they last talked. “I’ll make you a deal, Mr. Solo. You can take me wherever you want and cuddle me close for as long as your heart desires, but…” Hux stepped closer, resting his hands against the taller man’s chest. “In return, you have to take me by whatever supply closet you got those clothes from and let me actually have something that fits.”

Ben laughed, nodding.  “It’s a deal, General Hux.  Come on, let’s go.”  He took a step back, releasing his hold on the other man and stepping out of the showers.  He placed a hand on Hux’s arm, but did not grip him tightly.  It was more of a reminder to the other man than anything, that Ben was there, and that if he tried to bolt, he would be instantly frozen in place - lovers or not.  

He led them down a long hallways to the room where he’d found the clothes and, after entering, closed the door behind them and released his hold on Calic’s arm.  “Not exactly a boutique, is it?” he said, glancing around them at the shelves packed with storage crates of varying sizes and shapes.  He walked over to the shelf that held the box he’d rummaged through the day before and pulled it out.  

“This is where I found the clothes we were wearing earlier, but there may be more in one of these other boxes.  Obviously, I didn’t take time to look through all of them,” he explained.  “If you want to start looking through here, I can see if there are more.”  

Hux took the box from Ben, rummaging through it as the man moved from box to box. There wasn’t much to choose from, but the ginger managed to find a pair of trousers that were his size, regardless of his distaste in their style, and a clean pair of undergarments. Making sure Solo’s back was to him - though he wasn’t sure why that even mattered, now - the General pulled on the clothes, placing his towel on a shelf beside him. The black denim was scratchy against his skin, but it would work until he could get back to his post and back into his own clothes.

Part of him wanted to start looking around himself, to find a spare blaster and turn the tides of this game of cops-and-robbers. A quick tap against his mind told him that the Force user knew what was brewing inside of his mind. A warning to change his tune before his captor was forced to be that once more - an interrogator, a warden, not a lover. Calic gave Ben an apologetic smile that was anything but apologetic.

However, the redhead did start digging through things, finding a few more bottles of water and a black cowl that had seen better days, if the ragged edges of it were anything to go by. Still, Hux folded it over his arm and went back to looking for a shirt. 

Ben tried to hide the wince when he was confronted with Hux’s temptation to find a weapon.  After their tender moments in the shower, it was a cold blast of reality that reminded him that this man - even as a lover - could not be fully trusted.  The realization stung, but he couldn’t completely blame him.  After all, he was a captive here.  He didn’t  _ want _ to be here, even if he was with Ben.  

After rummaging through several boxes, Ben finally found one that contained a stash of Resistance officers’ uniforms.  He couldn’t help the sneer that crept over his lips as he imagined the high and mighty First Order General dressed as a Resistance officer.  Turning to face Hux, he held out the box.  

“I think I just hit the jackpot,” he said.  

“I think you certainly hit something, but I’m not sure the word ‘jackpot’ could be applied, here,” Hux responded as he gazed over the brown-green uniforms.

They were too stiff to the touch and felt almost plastic as he ran his fingers over them. He dug around in the box until he found a uniform that would fit him. He tore it off its hanger, tossing the jacket aside and letting the pants fall to the ground as he instead focused on the few choices of undershirts that were available to him. Those, he would be much more willing to wear. To taint his being with, for at least it didn’t have the Resistance symbol or the look of a scum-Rebel. Calic may want something to cover himself with, but he would put on his dirtied General’s attire before ever stepping into the uniform of his enemy.

A light grey, sleeveless top became his final choice.  He pulled the shirt on and let it hug his slender form as the almost-silky, undershirt fabric was meant to do. After, he wrapped the cowl around himself, casting out the cold, if only just a small amount. It was too big for him, too, as it draped off his body like a cloth over the sides of a table. It would work, for now.

“Alright,” the General stated, finding a pair of boots to pull on as they walked. “Are you planning on getting dressed at all?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Ben answered with a shrug and a grin, “I kind of thought it would make things more interesting if I didn’t.”  Ben let his eyes trail over the form of the General, taking in the way his new outfit hugged his form in all the right ways.  He folded his arms and across his chest and leaned back against the wall.  

“You look good,” he said casually.  “The casual attire suits you.”  Pushing off from the wall, Ben reached out and grabbed the messy bundle of clothes he’d found for himself and began pulling them on.  When he’d finished, he held out his arms in a display for the other man.  He was clad in almost identical garments to the ones Calic had chosen, lacking only the black cowl that was wrapped around Hux’s neck and shoulders.  

“The cowl might be a bit much, though,” he chuckled.  “It’s too big for you.  Here, let me try it on.”  He stretched out a hand.  

Hux stumbled as the fabric wrapped around him was suddenly pulled forward by an invisible hand, landing him back against the taller man with his hands braced against Solo’s stomach for balance. He tried to glare at him with more than just bare annoyance, but found his gaze lacking heat and tainted with slight amusement.

“You and your magic. Why do I have a feeling,” the ginger huffed, “that you weren’t at all interested in the cowl?”

A little smirk adorned the General’s lips as he rolled up onto his toes to kiss the Force user, lingering against his mouth for a few seconds before slowly pulling away, his hands never straying from the spot they had first landed. Only after Calic lightly pressed his fingers into the fabric of Ben’s shirt, leaving it creased, did he move his touch away. Unwrapping the cowl from his shoulders, the ginger tugged it away from himself and reached up to place it on his lover, fidgeting with it for a few moments as he moved it around and into a much better, more appropriate position.

“Black suits you, Ben Solo,” Hux hummed in approval, quirking a delicate eyebrow before stepping back just a pace. “This,” he traced the edge of the cowl, “suits you.”

“Does it?” Ben asked, running his fingers over the rough fabric.  “I’ve always liked the color black,” he confessed, looking around for a mirror, but finding none.  “So, now that we’ve found some new clothes for you, do I get to hold you for a while?  My living teddy bear?”  He laughed softly, well aware that the comparison probably made Hux’s skin crawl.  This man was decidedly  _ not _ a warm and fuzzy type of person, and that was alright.  Ben Solo never had been a fan of warm and fuzzy, anyway.  

Jade eyes rolled, unable to stop the motion as soon as it started. “On one condition, Ben,” Hux suddenly stated as he moved back toward the taller man. He wrapped an arm around the man’s shoulders, jumping suddenly and landing in Solo’s arms, falling limp after that. “You’ve worn me out. Be a good boy and carry me to wherever it is we’re going,” he sassed, a smirk pulling on his lips. 

Ben considered pointing out that he was also tired, but thought better of it, offering a lopsided grin instead.  “Alright,” he said, scooping the other man up in his arms without another word.  

As the General looped his arms around his neck, Ben smiled down at him.  In truth, he wasn’t difficult to carry, and before he knew it, they were back at the room where Hux had been staying.  

Ben frowned at the little metal bunk. It wasn't comfortable at all, and it was barely big enough for the two of them to fit on together. 

“Wait here,” he instructed, setting the General down and turning to leave. A few minutes later, he returned carrying a stack of blankets and a couple more pillows. “This will work a little better,” he said, and began to spread the blankets, one over the others, on the floor. He tossed the pillows down and then took a seat, holding out a hand in invitation for Hux to join him. 

All of this felt much more like some odd dream than an actual happening. They were enemies. He was captured, held against his will in the Resistance base, yet here Hux was - preparing to lie down with Ben Solo in a tangle of bodies that wasn’t their first holding of one another, and probably wouldn’t be their last until the General blazed his way out of the prison he was locked in.

A pale hand reached out, taking the large one offered to him as the ginger moved over to sit down in front of the Force user, pressing his back against the taller man’s front. With muscular arms wrapped around his body, Calic reclined, letting his lover relax them back against the pillows until they were leaning against one another in a cuddle that was much too innocent for the General to ever have fantasized about. 

“You make a rather good pillow, Ben,” Hux teased. “Perhaps I should sleep on you instead of the bunk.”

It was meant as a joke, but the images that came from it were quick to stick into his mind. Of them, snuggled up against one another. Happy. And that was a word that was just as dangerous as forming a connection. War was not a pursuit of happiness, it was a pursuit of proving who was better suited to survive.

Ben’s eyes had closed, and a relaxed smile had settled on his lips as the General rested against him.  His words, and the images he saw flash through his mind’s eye jolted him, however.  A picture of the two of them sleeping peacefully, tangled up in one another sprang into view in living color, and the feeling that wrapped itself around his heart made him think he might choke.  

It wasn’t even so much the image, itself, as the thoughts and emotions that went along with it - stability, acceptance, peace, happiness…  _ love _ .  These were things that Ben had long since given up on ever attaining, and yet, with that one mental image, all those buried desires came rushing back with such force that it knocked the wind right out of his lungs.  Suddenly, he wanted it so badly, he could taste it.  His grip around the ginger’s waist tightened slightly, and he took a deep breath.  

“Mindfulness…” he thought to himself.  “Focus on the present.  Do not worry about the future.  Do not get attached.  Do not...do not…”  It seemed that the Jedi code was constantly telling him what he could not do, and it seemed that all the things forbidden were all the things he most craved.  Ben Solo was never meant to the the ideal Jedi.  He’d always known it, deep in his soul.  But now, having had that one glimpse - the briefest taste of intimacy, possession, and passion - he knew there was no going back.  

“I want to stay with you tonight,” he said softly.  “Would that be alright?”

No, Hux instantly told himself. Tell the man no and be done with all of this for it would not lead them to anywhere good. When Hux turned his back on his prison, that would be it. He wasn’t coming back and he certainly wasn’t going to even consider leaving the First Order. Whatever had suddenly built between them needed to end.  Like a bandage, it just needed to be pulled off and forgotten.

But, then, there was that feeling of a mind brushing against his own - not opposing or in any kind of a warning, but just a simple caress of thoughts brushing against one another. Conflicts reflecting in each of their minds. And how brilliant that two lost, broken souls would come together in a situation of impossibility. A time and place where they could not survive together, but could only accept their loneliness. Their isolation from one another.

Calic turned his head to press a kiss to Ben’s cheek, lightly butting him with his forehead a moment later. Affectionate. Simple. “I’d like that very much.”

Ben leaned his head back against the wall with a relieved smile. He realized in that moment that he had absolutely no idea what was going to happen.  When his mother arrived, what would she say? What would she do?  What  _ could _ she do?  This was  _ his  _ life.  _ His  _ decision.  

With a sigh, he pushed the doubts from his mind. “What do you know of the Dark Side?” he asked the General. 

“In regard to the Force? Only what I’ve gathered from Snoke. And that’s very little, seeing as he’s rather...secretive about things until it suits him to expose a new bit of information,” The ginger responded, shuffling around until he could lie on his stomach against the taller man’s chest, curling his legs to the side and placing his weight on his hip. “It’s strong. Devastating when wielded wrong, even moreso when wielded correctly.”

Calic shrugged. “It’s all about passion. Power. Learning how to control your strength so that you can use it.”

Ben frowned, confronted again with the feeling of being found wanting.  “And you think your Leader Snoke would teach me to wield it?” he asked.  “To hear my mother and uncle talk, you would think that the Dark side was ...well, unspeakable evil.  But I don’t think it has to be.  What if there could be a balance between the two?”  

The concept of a grey area was one that Ben had toyed with many times over the years.  If it was true that the Force was an energy that could be bent to either light or dark, why could it not also be neutral?  Why could it not be harnessed to be used for whatever purpose the wielder wished, instead of the other way around?  Still, he’d had plenty of training in the light side of the Force, and still felt lacking.  What harm could there be in exploring the darkness?  

“I don’t know…” he said softly.  “It would mean an end to everything I know.  I would be leaving, not only the Resistance, but my family as well.”  

“It would mean a new beginning,” Hux suddenly argued, sitting up straighter as he caught the taller man’s eyes, his own pools of jade shimmering with a sudden fire inside of them. “Sometimes we come to the point in our lives where we must decide between turning the page and closing the book. But not all of life is so black and white. Sometimes a closed book does not mean an end, but simply a break. A time between an end and a new start. A continuation in a new chapter, per se.”

A pause. A break. A moment of stillness.

“You are just as imprisoned as I am, Ben Solo. Not all cells have bars.”

Ben turned to try and get a look at the other man’s face.  Hux’s answer had taken him off-guard, and he wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.  

“And what is your prison made of?” he asked quietly, lifting one hand to run his fingers through the silky copper colored hair.  

“Mine is a prison of glass. Invisible, until there are cracks. Put up like a doll on display and unable to truly see my boundaries until I’m about to hit them.” The answer was cryptic. Vague. And Hux intended to keep it that way.

Ben didn’t understand the answer.  It was a riddle within a riddle, and he knew that Hux did not intend to elaborate.  Briefly, he considered forcing his way into the General’s mind to extract to true meaning of his cryptic statement, but he quickly decided better of it and let the matter slide.  Instead, he sighed, and dropped his hand from Hux’s hair, and wondered just how foolish he was to think that he could ever have any kind of future with a man who had so many secrets.  

The sun was beginning to dip on the horizon, and the long angled rays were growing redder and warmer, even as they grew gradually dimmer.  It would be dark before long, and Ben had no intention of leaving that cell.  It might very well be that all of this would end just as suddenly as it had begun.  He could wake up in the morning to find the General hovering over him with a knife, or having escaped, never to be heard from again.  Who knew what the future might hold?  But that night, he would stay here, with General Hux wrapped tightly in his arms until morning’s light. 

It stood as a testimony of how desperate the ginger was getting for any kind of hope that he considered using one of the blankets to try and choke a Force user. It stood as something else entirely that Calic let go of that idea before a plan could formulate. He placed a hand against Ben’s chest, feeling the heart beating beneath his fingertips. So full of life. So ready for the galaxy. So wanting of someone whose heart heard his sad tune and harmonized with it.

The General wanted to think in that moment that he was that ‘someone’, but romanticized thoughts in a logical mind were quickly torn to shreds. Hux drew abstract patterns and outlines of star systems over his lover’s shirt. “Ben? What’s going on with our minds? Why can I hear you? Feel you?”

Ben’s chest rose and fell in deepening breaths as he let the tingling sensation of the fingers dancing over his chest wash over him.  Inhaling a shuddering breath, he said, “I’m not sure.  I’ve only ever experienced that kind of connection with my mother, and on more rare occasions, with Luke.  I had thought that it might have been as a result of our physical intimacy, but I don’t think that’s it.” 

His brow furrowed in thought and he continued, “For one thing, obviously, I’ve not been physically intimate with my own mother, or my uncle.  But for another thing, I  _ have _ been intimate with... _ other _ people before, and I never shared this type of psychic connection with any of them.”  

He stayed quiet for several moments, in thought, but also simply soaking in the warmth, comfort, and security he felt in that moment.  After all, what did either of them have beyond that moment?  Deep inside, Ben knew that in one way or another, everything was going to change very soon.  “I don’t know why you can hear me,” he finally said, “but I’m glad you can.”  

Hux didn’t respond, but let those words, or rather, the sentiment of those words play in his mind like a loop.  He was glad that the General was able to hear him? Why? For what reason would a Resistance man want to be connected to one of the leaders of the First Order? The only logical explanation was that Ben could then get into his mind from a distance, that even if--when Calic escaped, the man would still be able to pull at his mind and find out information that the Order would rather keep hidden.

For some reason, the ginger couldn’t convince himself that was the reason that Solo seemed so positive about their connection. This link that he had ever had with family. With people who were close to him, dear to him. Who cared for him as much as he cared for--

Jade eyes slowly rose up to look at the other man, a guarded expression in them as they searched for anything that might back up the idea that flitted through his mind.

Did Ben Solo truly and actually care for Calic Hux?

“I’m glad, too,” the General answered instead.

Ben met the General’s steady gaze, and felt the weight of emotion behind it.  He did not pry into the other man’s thoughts, but simply allowed the sensations of feeling envelope him, and without a word, he leaned forward to connect their lips in a slow, sensual kiss.  

Even Ben did not know, or understand, what he was feeling anymore.  How could he possibly have let down his defenses long enough to let the enemy inside?  To allow this man to crawl under his skin and take up residence there?  It made no sense.  Yet it had happened.  Was happening.  His hands gripped Hux’s hips, turning him in his lap so that they were more or less facing one another.  He deepened the kiss, pressing his tongue into the ginger’s mouth and tangling his fingers in his hair as the last rays of sunlight were extinguished.  

***

Hux couldn’t remember a time that he slept so soundly. His eyes had fallen shut easily, body falling limp against the taller man’s the moment their kiss ended. Everything just felt natural - even the fingers that seemed to gently card through his mind in a mirror of the ones in his hair. He dreamed of a land far away from them. Of a place that was split in half between night and day, shadows covering half of the golden field he walked in as sunshine warmed the other side. Someone walked in the shadows, moving parallel to the slighter man. A being of darkness - shrouded not only in night, but in billowing robes and a hood that fell over his face.

Something hindered the being’s breathing, each sound falling from it sounding garbled. Mechanical. He couldn’t quite tell if it was a man or monster or something that walked the fine line in between. Neither of them spoke as they moved across the field, stepping in time with one another as the light and dark sides of the world started to switch, fading away from the outside in.

Ben woke early the next morning, with an ache in his back, and a hitch in his breath.  The first thought he had was that he had just had the strangest dream, but the second being that there was someone lying against his chest.  His heart jumped in a moment of panic, until he remembered what had happened and who it was that lay against him.  

His hand was still tangled in the shiny red locks, and the look on the General’s face was the most peaceful and content that he had yet seen the man.  Slowly, the memories of the previous day began to come back to him - the way they had come together, after several days of bickering and walking on eggshells - the way they had let their walls come down, if only for a short time, to let the other inside - the way they had expressed a desire to  _ stay _ .  Not to stay  _ here _ , or anywhere, exactly, but to stay with one another - to follow this bizarre turn of events wherever it might lead them, and take the adventure that followed.  

Ben sighed, letting his head fall back against the cold stone wall behind him.  He could hardly believe they had slept like this all night, yet here they were, as the silver-yellow sunbeams filtered through the tiny barred window, illuminating dust motes suspended in the air like tiny snowflakes.  

“Hux…” he whispered, gently shaking the redhead who lay nestled against his chest, still asleep.  “Calic… It’s morning.”  

The ginger hummed, shaking his head and burying his face further into the taller man’s chest. “I don’t care if it’s morning, so long as I don’t have to get up for a red alert, I don’t plan to do anything. After all, I’m prisoner,” Hux mumbled, “not in charge of my own being for the time I’m here.”

Even as he spoke, Calic’s voice lilted. Almost in a way that could be called light, teasing. Regardless, his eyes fluttered open, bleary jade gazing up at the other man. Golden light covered Ben, casting him in molten metal - making him look much more like a great star, come to earth, than an actual man. He was beautiful, no matter what the General wanted to deny - and he did. He wanted to deny his attraction, his connection. He wanted to not care.

But he did.

“Good morning, Mr. Solo.”

Ben couldn’t keep the smile from his lips as the sleepy General began to stir, and when he lifted his gaze to meet Ben’s own, his heart fluttered in his chest.  

“Good morning,” he answered.  “Do I make a more comfortable bed than the parasteel bunk, General Hux?” he asked, and suddenly realized, to his shame, that he was still rhythmically running his fingers through the General’s fiery hair.  He dropped his hand and looked away.  

Suddenly, he was struck with the urge to lean down and kiss the other man.  He wanted to, badly.  He wanted to tangle his fingers in that hair and suck bruises onto his flesh, and make him cry out again and again.  But with the new morning’s light floating into the room around them, he was unsure of everything again.  

“Uh…” he started, tentatively, “I um…I guess we should get up.” 

Hux took that as more than just was spoken, hearing the conflict behind his words. Sitting up, the ginger pulled himself to his knees, his body protesting instantly as it reminded him about what they had done the previous day. It was a fling, he tried to convince himself. They had pent up anger and aggression and were tired of being alone, so they went to one another. It was a mistake. It ended here and now, because anything that came with it would be bad news for either of them and the General had more important things to focus his mind on than a confused Force user stuck in the middle of a life that he wasn’t certain of whether or not he wanted.

It wasn’t Calic’s problem.

Ben Solo was not his problem.

For some reason, that thought and that vindictive voice in his head that told him to back off went completely ignored. Leaning forward, Hux pressed their lips together once more, slower, now. Almost gentle. “Get up and do what, Mr. Solo?” Jade eyes opened to stare at the other man. “Do you plan on asking me even more questions? Leaving me all day to wander around like a lost pup? From the way I see it, there’s no reason for us to get up at all.”

Ben’s eyes widened as the ginger turned in his grasp and pressed their lips together, but almost immediately, he relaxed into the kiss, a strangled whimper rising from deep inside him and muffled against the other man’s lips.  

When Hux pulled back, Ben leaned forward, not wanting their lips to part.  His eyes were heavy lidded and his lips were parted, his breath already heavy from the kiss that had just been interrupted.  

“Maker…” he whispered, wrapping his arms tightly around the other man and pulling him back into another kiss, thrusting his tongue into the other man’s mouth. 

The General made a little noise as their kiss suddenly deepened, lips slotted together and tongues twisting in a little tango between them. He broke away from the kiss with a little smirk and a sparkle of mischievousness in his eye.

With purposeful movements, Hux took up residence in the taller man’s lap, straddling Ben and placing one leg on either side of the man’s hips. Leaning forward, he whispered into his lover’s ear. “How about this, instead? We can get up in a while, but for now, why don’t you let me give you the ride of your life?”

Ben swallowed as a shudder ran through his body.  His grip instinctively tightened around Hux’s waist, pulling him closer so that they were pressed firmly against one another at the pelvis.  He nodded, not trusting himself to speak, but instead lunged forward to capture the General’s lips with his own again. 

His hands found their way into the General’s hair balling into fists for a moment before one hand ran down his neck and over his shoulder.  He groaned softly, body coming alive with dizzying speed, and the only thought blaring through his mind like a loudspeaker was that he needed to get the other man’s clothes off as quickly as possible.  

Ben ran his hands down to Calic’s waist, and slipped his fingers beneath the soft fabric of his shirt.  The General’s skin was soft and smooth and surprisingly cool to the touch, as Ben let his fingers glide over his stomach and up over his chest, pulling the shirt upward as he moved.  He pulled away from the kiss just long enough to lift Hux’s shirt over his head, and was just about to move back in for another searing kiss when he was suddenly jerked back to reality by a sound outside the window.  He dropped the shirt on the floor beside him, and looked at Hux with an expression of panic, tinged with a healthy dose of disappointment.  

“They’re here,” he said.  


	7. The Sentence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sincerely apologize for the delay in publishing. I will do my best to get future installments uploaded in a more timely manner. We are almost finished writing the last chapter, so I have hopes that the story we have envisioned will be told, in its completion, in the not-too-distant future. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Cheers!

“Force, of all the times for them to show up…”  A thousand thoughts flashed through Ben’s mind.  The most insistent thought was that they could hide somewhere, and finish what they were about to do.  His body was screaming out for this, but it was no good.  Leia knew this place far better than Ben did, and she would find them in no time, no matter where they went.  Besides that, he did want to see his mother and find out what had happened.  Perhaps he could explain things to her, and… 

That thought ended abruptly.  Just what, exactly, was he going to explain to Leia?  That she should let Hux go because they had slept together?  That everything was ok because the pair of them had had sex?  Or perhaps, that he could be trusted because they had kind of sort of admitted they had feelings for one another?  Even as the thoughts darted through his mind, Ben knew they were ridiculous.  Whatever was going on between the two of them, it did not concern Ben’s mother, and she would make certain that Ben knew it.  

None of it mattered, now.  In that moment, Ben knew that he would do whatever it took to protect Hux.  He would beg and plead with his mother.  Maybe it wouldn’t be logical or reasonable, but surely he could convince her to have mercy, if not for Hux’s sake, then for his own.  

Ben picked up Hux’s shirt that he’d just removed, and handed it back to him.  “I’m so sorry,” he said, leaning forward to press a hasty kiss to the other man’s lips.  “Later,” he said.  “Please.  Promise me.  Later.”

Calic took the shirt, moving off of the taller man as Ben bolted into a standing position, smoothing out his clothes as best he could. The General didn’t get a chance to answer his captor before the man had vanished, the sound of locks clicking into place the only goodbye that he received. Hux pulled the shirt on slowly, tempted to throw it across his cell in a show of frustration, and realizing that would only end with him having to go fetch it and put it on, anyway.

Pointless. Useless.

Why cast aside something that was actually needed?

The ginger had no delusions about his fate, now. He had single-handedly killed more people and caused more destruction than the entire Empire. He had  _ eliminated _ the Republic, burned his legacy into the stars for all to talk about - regardless of whether or not he survived to see the day that the galaxy bow to the First Order.

And he wouldn’t. Calic knew he wouldn’t see the end of the war, for he was trapped by his enemies, locked away and not talking. He wouldn’t give away information, so there was only one thing left to do.

His death toll was ringing.

Ben had raced out to the tarmac, where his mother’s shuttle was landing, as soon as he’d left Hux’s cell.  He’d felt badly about leaving Calic in there by himself, but he wanted to talk to his mother right away, and privately.  He needed to, if he had any hope of convincing her to spare the General’s life.  Now, he stood on the landing strip, waving to her.  

There was a strange mix of emotions running through him in those moments, as he waited for her shuttle to land.  He felt relief, of course - relief that his mother was alright, and that she had finally arrived.  But beyond that, he felt confused, nervous, and even fearful about what she would say or do when she found out what had transpired in her absence.  

Up to that moment, it had never occurred to Ben to lie about what had or had not happened.  He had been planning to tell her everything, to appeal to her sense of compassion.  Now, in the light of day, he wondered whether that was the best option.  Perhaps he could come up with a more convincing argument appealing to her sense of justice.  But what argument could he make?  

When the shuttle finally landed, and Leia walked off the ship, Ben wasted no time running to her and wrapping her in a warm embrace.  “Mother, I’m so glad you’re safe,” he said softly, still holding onto her.  “What happened?  Why did it take you so long to get here?”

“General Hux wasn’t exaggerating when he said that his fleet was well trained and numerous,” the woman stated. She shook her head a moment later, cupping her son’s face in her hands and gently petting his hair off his face. For just a few seconds, she wanted to just be Ben’s mother - to shake off the formality of her military rank, and simply to reassure him that they had done everything in their power to come to him swiftly and to show him with words and touch that she loved him dearly. “We stopped at a few of the Republic’s surviving leader’s bases. People who were away when the First Order destroyed everything.”

Leia glanced behind her as Luke approached them, his normal hooded robe folded over his arm.

“A consensus has been come to,” Organa continued. “The responsibility for all those lives and the punishment for taking them falls on General Hux. He won’t give us any information and no one thinks that will change. He’s been given the death sentence.”

Even as she said it, Leia hated it. Not only because she believed that a life for a life just made the whole world dead, but also because the ginger was so much like her son - smart, young, stubborn about what he was passionate about, and snappish when challenged. They were both driven, both seemingly able to get under one another’s skin. And Leia hated to put anyone to death that reminded her of Ben.

Ben simply stared at her.  He felt like all the air had been sucked from his lungs, and the world seemed to spin out of control.  For a horrible moment, he thought he might throw up, but he was able to collect himself before that could happen.  

“Mother,” he said, fighting to cover the emotion in his voice, though he knew it was no good.  This was the woman who had raised him.  She was the one who had rocked him back to sleep when he’d wakened from a nightmare, had sat with him and stroked his hair when he was sick and feverish, and had sat up all night with him the first time he’d gotten his heart broken.  There was no fooling Leia.  “Mother, please.  Can we talk about this?  General Hux and I have had a lot of time to talk and…”  He trailed off as Luke approached.  

Ben’s relationship with his uncle was strained, even at the best of times.  Under these circumstances, he had no desire whatsoever to open up to the man.  “Uncle,” he simply said with a nod in greeting.  Turning back to Leia, he said, “Mother, we need to talk.  Please don’t make this decision rashly.” 

“Ben, this is the man who destroyed the entire Hosnian System,” Luke interjected. “He’s Snoke’s right hand man, and no matter how long we hold him or what we say to him, he won’t talk. We all know that. The only information we got from him was when…” He trailed off there, blue eyes turning to Leia. “I’ll go inform him about the decision and let you two have some time.”

With that, Leia and her son were left alone once more.

Ben glared after Luke as he marched off toward the base, hating that he would be going in to tell his… What was he?  His lover?  His prisoner.  Regardless, he hated it.  He considered chasing after Luke, but what would be the point?  Hux was surely too proud to want Ben there when the news was delivered, anyway.  

Leia tilted her head with a soft sigh as she gazed at her son. “Honey,” she took his hands in hers. “Are you alright? Did he say something to you? He’s a manipulator, Ben. Don’t take anything he tells you to heart.”

Turning back to Leia, he shook his head.  “No...no, Mom.  It’s not like that.  It’s…”  Ben bit the inside of his cheek and looked down at the pavement beneath their feet.  How was he supposed to explain this to his mother?  Lifting his gaze to meet hers once more, he said, “We’ve bonded.  I mean...it’s more than just getting to know one another.  Mother, I think the Force brought us together for a reason.  We’re much more similar than I ever realized.  And we…”  He trailed off again, still lost for the words to say.  

Instead, he shrugged.  “Mother, please.  If you won’t consider it for Hux, consider it for me.  I’m asking you.  No, I’m begging you to please spare this man’s life.”  

***

Soft footsteps approached the General’s cell. He had moved, somewhat, taking the bedding off the floor and folding it over the bunk. Keeping his breathing calm and his heart rate mostly in check, Hux straightened his back where he sat on his bed - shoulders leveling themselves as the door slid open. The ginger didn’t lift his gaze from the wall before him, made no attempt to acknowledge the Jedi that entered the room.

“General Hux.”

A red eyebrow quirked in response.

“You and I haven’t formally met. I--”

“I know who you are, Mr. Skywalker,” Calic finally spoke, casting his gaze to the man. “You can doubt my ethics and my morality, but do not doubt my intelligence.”

Luke pursed his lips for a moment, deep in thought as he watched the younger man. The spirit of fire, so many referred to him as. An Elemental that burned everything in his path. How devastatingly right all of their superstitious informants had been.

“You know why I’m here.”

“Yes.”

“You know what I’m about to say.”

Hux swallowed. “Yes.”

“Yesterday at ten-fourteen in the morning, a gathering was held of the surviving senators and governing bodies of the Republic. After some brief discussion, it was decided that, come tomorrow morning, you will be put to death for your crimes against the galaxy.”

The General remained silent, unwilling to let Luke know how the words stopped his heart. When the door closed, after the man had exited, jade eyes slipped closed.

Ben entered Hux’s cell without a word.  His gaze flickered from the General, to the stack of blankets, to the spot on the floor where they had sat just moments earlier.  Such a short period of time, and yet everything had changed in the blink of an eye.  Everything that Ben had come to hope and believe in had been snatched from him and now lay shattered on the ground out on the tarmac.  

Silently, Ben walked across the room and sat down next to Hux on the parasteel bunk.  For a few long moments, neither one of them spoke.  There was no need to.  They both knew - both understood that the other also knew - what had happened, and what was about to happen.  Ben had already rained down destruction on the supply closet where they had found their food, water, and clothing the day before.  He didn’t want Hux to see him lose control, so he’d gone there and taken out his fury on the hapless supplies, instead.  

After what felt like an eternity, Ben spoke.  He kept his gaze firmly fixed on a speck on the floor in front of him as he said, “I’m not going to let them do this.  I won’t let them hurt you.”  

“I hardly think you have a choice,” Hux answered.

He was calm, now that his sentence had been given. Now that everything was known. There was no guesswork needed, no possibilities to be overlooked. Three Force users were here with him, wherever ‘here’ was. His hope for escape had been minimal with Ben, alone. It was near impossible now. He had been trained for this, too. Grace under pressure, to go into a certain-death situation and to not crumble. Not beg. Not--

Calic didn’t want to die. He was still young - so much of life still ahead of him, chapters torn from his book before he could ever write a conclusion. One day. His life would end in one day and while he should be screaming and crying and desperately trying to escape, instead, he was quite, resolute, somewhere between shock and acceptance.

Jade eyes finally turned to look at the man beside him, tracing over Ben’s profile with a look of sorrow, for this was a man who could do great things, if only he was allowed.

“Don’t let them stop you, Ben Solo. You are better than you think, stronger than any of them know. Get out of here. Make your own life. Stop living theirs.”

Ben pursed his lips, willing himself not to cry. He could not -  _ would not _ \- let this happen. In the few short days since he'd met General Hux, Ben had felt more understood, more connected, and more  _ appreciated _ than he had ever felt in his adult life. And no one - not the great and mighty Luke Skywalker, not even his mother - was going to take that away from him. 

“No,” he said softly, almost in a whisper. “I'm not letting them take you away from me.”  

The games were over, now. Ben could no longer deny his own feelings, and he knew in his gut that Hux felt the same way about him, even if he would never admit it. They were linked, inexplicably drawn together, and once he'd had a taste of the ginger General, Ben was irrevocably addicted. 

Without another word, he reached out and grabbed Calic, pulling him into a desperate kiss, whimpering quietly into his lover’s mouth. Then, just as quickly, he pulled away. 

“Don't worry,” he said with sudden and complete calm. “I will come back for you. You can trust me.” 

For the second time that day, Hux watched his lover walk away. Watched as the door closed behind him, and then was left in complete silence. As the day slowly trickled by, more and more Resistance fighters arrived - those who had survived were none too happy with the ginger, and some made that anger known. His cell door was pounded on, insults and threats hurled his way from outside. Some got in, realized that he was uncuffed, and instantly picked a fight with Calic.

Three Rebels were sent to medbay before the General was bound once more, wrists locked behind his back, now. Luke came to him from time to time, but rarely spoke. He simply diverted anyone that wanted to harass the redhead - sending them away with a look and low tones. When he did speak, Hux barely listened. It was nothing he didn’t expect - ‘you can still change, why stay silent, what good has come of this’ and everything else under the sun.

“Ben has fought with his mother all day about you.”

That perked the ginger’s ears up, jade eyes turning to watch the older man from behind the bars on his door.

“Why?”

“Because he sees the good in you.”

“And I see the dark in him. In everything he does. I see the way he tries to stifle it because he’s grown up thinking that his existence is inherently wrong.”

“You got into his--”

“That one isn’t on me, Mr. Skywalker. You and your sister raised Ben Solo. The reasons that he sees himself as a monster instead of a man are because of you. Not me.”

In time, even Luke left him alone.

***

Ben was pacing, wearing a groove in the floor in his frenzied state.  Leia, who sat calmly in a chair watching him, said nothing.  He had done everything he knew to do.  He had appealed to her sense of reason, her mercy and compassion, had even made empty threats against the Resistance if she would not reconsider the execution, but it had all fallen on deaf ears.  When Leia Organa made up her mind about something, there was no changing it; she was an immoveable object and an unstoppable force, all rolled into one.  

After hours of back and forth (mostly from Ben’s side), his shoulders slumped and he fell to his knees in front of his mother.  Never in his life had he been so desperate for anything, and he willed her to see that - to take pity on him.  

“Mother,” he said in a low, cracking voice, “I can’t…” He paused, and a quick glance revealed one of Leia’s eyebrows arched in anticipation.  He shook his head sadly.  “I can’t  _ lose _ him.  I...I care for him.”  These words were hopelessly anemic - only a shadow of what he was actually feeling - but what else could he say?  That he thought he  _ loved _ the man?  He had only known him a few days.  And yet, it felt very much like that.  

Ben looked up at his mother with tears glistening in his eyes, slowly trickling down his cheeks.  “Please,” he whispered, “Please…”

Leia hated seeing her son in such pain. Hated gazing at him and seeing so much of herself, when she used to beg Han not to leave. When she implored him to stay, to just let go of his old tendencies and make a life with his family. Sighing heavily, the woman slowly lowered herself to kneel in front of Ben, taking his hands in her own with a small shake of her head.

“This is beginning to feel a lot like when you and Ashley stopped seeing one another,” she whispered, pulling her son into a hug a moment later, only pulling back when Ben’s trembling had started to subside. “Honey, this man is not good for you. He’s a megalomaniac who will say anything to get what he wants. He may not have the Force, but he knows exactly what to say or do to get to someone.”

A pause of silence fell over the two of them.

A moment later, Leia raised her hands, cupping the dark-haired man’s face to pull him down just enough for her lips to press against his forehead. “Do not mistake infatuation with love, Ben. General Hux is an angel of death. Do you know what they call him? What they think about him across the galaxy? Ben, there is nothing I can do, now. The remaining council has spoken and if he doesn’t turn a new leaf and tell us how to destroy the First Order weapon, then the sentence will be carried out. I’m sorry.”

Ben’s face contorted into a grimace, as he felt his temper flaring to life in his chest.  “No, Mother.  Why don’t you tell me?  What  _ do _ they call him?” he spat out.  He felt like someone had crawled inside him and was ripping his soul to shreds.  How could Leia know whether this man would be good for him or bad?  How could she know that the things Hux had said to Ben were untrue?  

Then again, what if she was right?  What if none of it had been real?  What if Hux was only toying with Ben - stringing him along to win his own freedom, with the intent to ditch him, or worse, after he had escaped?  Ben Solo didn’t think he could handle one more rejection.  If none of it was true, he would rather die believing the lie than to turn back to a life of futile hopelessness and broken dreams.  

“What do they call him, Mother?”  he repeated, his voice lowering to a growl. 

“They call him The Grim. Everywhere he goes, Ben, he leaves behind death and destruction. He doesn’t care about life. He doesn’t care about anyone, he just wants to take the galaxy and bend it to his will,” Leia stated. Her voice was urgent, begging her son to understand the truth behind the man whom he supposedly cared for. “You were only with him for a few days. The Force is mysterious, but bonding to him mentally does not mean anything. We don’t know how your abilities work - not completely, but we’re figuring it out, Ben. Don’t throw it away because of this man.”

“You don’t know him,” Ben said, even as he was forced to acknowledge that he himself didn’t  know the General, either.  Not really.  “How can you say that a Force bond means nothing? How can you say that, when you admit that you don’t understand my abilities?  And do you know  _ why _ we don’t understand my abilities?  Because you and Uncle Luke are  _ afraid _ of them!  You won’t let me reach my full potential because you know I am more powerful than either of you, and it scares you to death!”  

Ben cut off, panting.  All day, he had debased himself - begged, pleaded, thrown himself at her feet - but none of it mattered.  She hadn’t heard a word he’d been saying.  

“You’re wrong about him,” Ben said, more quietly now.  “He is a human being, just like you and me.  His motivations and goals may be different, but he does the things he does because he has a purpose.  He sees what needs to be done and he does it.”  

Ben rose to his feet and brushed off his knees, fixing Leia with a withering glare.  In that moment, he knew what had to be done.  “I’m sorry that I wasted your time,” he said in a condescending tone, and began making his way to the door.  

***   
  
Hux sat in his cell, looking down at the dinner that had been purposefully turned upside down onto the floor, his guard sneering that he could eat from the floor like the animal he was. He had used much more derogatory and colorful language, but, even on the verge of death, the ginger was too proud and civilized to repeat any of it. He was, after all, a General and an aristocrat.   
  
Jade eyes glanced at the puddle of stew once more. So much for a last meal, but he supposed it didn't matter whether he showed up to his own execution hungry or not. The ending would be the same - him, blindfolded and on his knees as a blaster was raised to his head and a trigger was pulled. It could have been worse. It could have been death by torture - with him screaming out his final breaths in agony, left to the mercy of those who hated him most. And perhaps one person who he had thought cared for him, but Ben would hardly be his beacon of hope, now.   
  
With a sigh, Calic laid down and rolled over to face the wall. Eight hours, now. Eight hours, five minutes, and a handful of seconds was all he had left to live for. And that was slowly slipping away. Each tick of the clock that someone put just outside his door was one less moment that he had. He thought he would have seen it through or gone out in a blaze of glory.   
  
Not alone. In a cell. With no one left in the galaxy to console him.   
  
So was the life of a revolutionary.

***

Leia had tried to convince Ben to move into the residential area of the compound with Luke and herself, but he had refused, telling her that if Hux had only 8 hours left to live, the least he could do was to spend those 8 hours in the same conditions that Hux would be.  He had retreated to the cell he had been staying in and sat on the bunk, deep in thought.  

Ben had not told anyone about his plans - not even the General, himself.  He couldn’t run the risk of being overheard, nor of having Hux blurt out any clue under duress.  Not that Ben thought he would - he’d stood up to torture before.  But Ben was determined to carry out his plans in complete secrecy.  

He waited until well after dark, when he was sure that everyone else was asleep for the night.  Then, he crept out of his room and walked to Hux’s, keying in the code and waiting for the door to open.  Quickly, he stepped inside and let the door slide shut behind him.  When his eyes fell on the First Order General, it took his breath away.  Whatever calm he had mustered in his meditative preparation flew out the window as his pulse skyrocketed, and he remembered, all at once, why he had been so desperate to save this man.  If this wasn’t love, it was a very good imitation.  

Ben walked across the room and sat on the bunk next to Hux, reaching out a tentative hand to shake his shoulder.  “Calic...Are you awake?” he whispered.

The General was awake in an instant, not having meant to fall asleep. He searched in the dark until his eyes landed on the form that he had come to expect, to know, to want. Unsure about what compelled him to do so, Hux sat up suddenly and wrapped his arms around the taller man, breathing in his smell - for if this was the last scent he took with him to his grave, he would cherish it.   
  
When he pulled back, Calic frowned, shaking his head as he leaned away. "What are you doing here? I won't talk. I'm not going back on that promise or my duties to the First Order. And if that kills me, then so be it."   
  
Even as he spoke, the ginger’s voice wavered. Turning, he placed his feet down against the ground, bruises blossoming on his jawline from where a few punches got through to him. A cut lined both of his lips - one guard was wearing a ring when he came in, it was torn from his finger the moment that Hux had the man on his back. Now, the cut was all that remained - blood washed away again and again until it stopped.   
  
"Is this my final interrogation?"

Ben’s countenance fell as soon as he saw Hux’s face, and anger flared in his gut.  “Who did this to you?” he demanded, but shook his head.  At this point it didn’t even matter.  He lifted his hands and gently cupped Calic’s face, fingertips lightly tracing the bruises on his jawline.  When his eyes rose to meet with the General’s, he leaned in and kissed him.  At first, he was careful to be gentle, acutely aware of the cuts on his lip that must have been painful, but as he slipped his arms around the other man and felt his heart swell, he couldn’t hold back, and let all his pent up longing and passion flow between them.  

When he pulled back, Ben was breathless.  He leaned his head forward, resting his forehead against Hux’s as he panted.  “Not an interrogation,” he said quietly, “We’re getting out of here.  Tonight.  Right now.”  

That shocked Hux more than the sudden kiss. What Ben was suggesting was taking a path from which he would never be able to return. To aid in the escape of a prisoner sentenced to death was more than treasonous, it was the severing of all ties - blazing a new road across the stars without ever looking back. It was something he expected from his soldiers, who had been loyal all their lives, but not a man who--   
  
Jade eyes widened as the realization of just how deep Ben’s feelings for him went. This was not just physical attraction, or he would not be doing this. Unless, of course he was just that desperate to get out - to leave those who controlled him and hindered him. That was also an entirely viable option.   
  
"How?"

“Everyone is asleep,” Ben said plainly.  “Even though I spent the day begging and pleading with my mother to have mercy, she does not suspect that I would attempt to do this.  You are under my guard.  If we are met with resistance…”  Ben trailed off, hating the thought of what he would have to do if they were caught.  Escaping in the dead of night was one thing.  Harming a member of the Resistance - possibly someone he knew and cared for - was another thing entirely.  

“I know what I’m doing,” Ben continued.  “I’ve thought about it over and over and over again, and I keep coming to the same conclusion.  I could remain silent.  I could stand by and watch you executed.  I could even tell myself that it was justice being served - that to help you would have been treason - a betrayal.  But if I were to do that, I would be committing the highest treason of all - to my own heart.  I can’t explain what’s happened between us these past few days.  It makes no sense at all.  But I can’t deny that it’s happened.  And I can’t deny the way I feel about you - when I’m with you - you make me feel...alive.”  

Ben paused, collecting his thoughts, and studied the General’s face for any trace of scorn or mocking.  Was he throwing his life away?  Could his mother have been right, that Hux cared no more for him than one of his legions of Stormtroopers?  No.  He wouldn’t believe it.  He couldn’t.  

“My shuttle is just outside the compound.  We will leave here as quietly as possible, and I will pilot us out of here.  I don’t know where we will go.  I don’t even care.  I just want… I need…”  He shook his head.  They needed to move, now.  There would be time for conversation later.  “Trust me,” he said, gazing deeply into the General’s jade colored eyes.  

Hux glanced around the cold cell, thinking about everything that had transpired over the days he had been held captive. All the interrogations, all the beatings, all the ups and downs and falling apart and falling together. What option did he have, really, if he wanted to survive? The man before him was his only shot at survival, at this point, and the ginger would be lying if he said that he was ready to die for his cause.

And truth be told, the General wasn’t certain exactly what he felt for Ben Solo. His heart and mind were torn and at war with one another. They shoved him in opposite directions and demanded that he make a choice, but he had no time fo that. With a nod that was barely visible, Calic agreed. “I trust you.”

Those three words felt like something more. They felt weighted and incomplete. They felt like the start of something - some promise of more dripped onto them as they fell from his lilting voice. With a final sigh, the ginger stood, pulling the taller man up with him. “We make for the Finalizer. Come with me. See what I can offer you before you throw it away. See your grandfather’s legacy.”

Something sparked inside Ben at those words: “your grandfather’s legacy”.  It made its way through him, sending static electricity down his spine.  “Alright,” he said, and the two of them exited the cell.

They made their way stealthily down the halls, past the showers where they had come together the day before, past the storage room where they had pillaged for clothing and supplies.  Ben had the black, tattered cowl wrapped around his head and shoulders, offering some measure of camouflage in the dark.  

Finally, they reached the exterior doors.  Ben paused, heaving a deep sigh.  This was it.  This was the moment of truth.  If he continued on from here, there was no going back.  He swallowed, looking once more at the man by his side.  One glance at the cuts and bruises on the General’s face was all it took for him to know that this was what he had to do.  

“Once we’re outside, we need to move quickly,” he said.  “There may be guards posted in the towers.  But the shuttle isn’t far, and if we can reach that, we’ll be in the clear.  Are you ready?” he asked, reaching out to take Hux’s hand and give it a squeeze before dropping it again.

It took but a moment for the General to clear his mind once more - jade eyes closing briefly and opening once more with a renewed sharpness, a renewed flame. They kept to the shadows as they moved, silent, except for their light footfalls. They froze in place when a guard stepped too close to them - Hux reacting a moment later as he grabbed the man from behind, wrapping one arm around his throat and covering the man’s mouth with his hand until the guard fell unconscious.

He would have killed him if Ben hadn’t been there. After all, what did it matter to the ginger if one more Rebel died? Hux did take the guard’s blaster for added protection, just in case everything went wrong.

In a moment’s time, it did.

  
They dashed toward the shuttle, doing their best to keep out of the moonbeams until there was nothing left but to just run. One step later and an invisible hand shoved Calic to the ground, the blaster skittering across the ground as they spun around to see Leia Organa, one hand raised and a look of hurt etched into her face. 


	8. Welcome to the First Order

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, the second chapter in one week! Hope you enjoy! :)

So this was it.  Ben froze, eyes darting back and forth between Leia and Hux, who lay on the ground.  Once his shock had eased, he fixed his gaze squarely on his mother.  

“Please, Mother, do not make me do this.  I don’t want to fight you, but I can’t let you kill him.”  His voice alternated between furious and desperate, every emotion coursing through him slipping out as he spoke.  “We are leaving, and you can’t not stop us.”  

“Ben, don’t do this,” his mother pleaded, her hand dropping slightly. “Don’t give in to the Dark side. Don’t let your emotions control you. Don’t let him seduce you away from the light.”

Even as she spoke, Leia summoned up her Force energy, prepared to fight back, should the ginger get back to his feet and make a grab for the blaster or for her son. She didn’t want to fight her own son, but she wasn’t prepared to have him stolen away from her, either. “Ben, come back.”

Ben’s face contorted in anguish.  Of all the possible scenarios he’d imagined for their escape, coming face to face with his mother had not been among them.  “Come back to what, Mother?” he spat out, tears now welling in his eyes.  “Come back to my cage?  Come back to being always told what to do, and then told that I didn’t do it correctly?  Come back to your judgement and disappointment?  No.”  He shook his head and pointed to the ginger.  “Hux is not what you think he is - not what you say he is.  He believes in me!  He says that I can be more than what I am, here, now.  He has not  _ lied  _ to me, like  _ you _ have.”  

He stopped, panting, giving those last words a moment to sink into his mother’s consciousness.  “All those years, you lied to me about Grandfather.  You didn’t think I could handle the truth, I suppose.  But I am stronger than you think.  I can be so much more than you give me credit for.  Please! Let us go!” 

As mother and son spoke, the ginger crawled across the ground, snatching the blaster as security lights started to click on, all of them turning and focusing on the two runaways. “Ben.” The General’s voice was low, warning.

“Come back to your  _ family _ ,” Leia stressed, ignoring the sirens that were starting to sound around the base. “We love you, Ben, and… we’ve made mistakes, but we were trying to protect you. We’ve always only wanted what’s best for you, and it’s not  _ him. _ ”

Hux was on his feet the moment that soldiers started filing out, arcing out behind the elder woman with their weapons raised. The redhead acted similarly, leveling his blaster at the guards. Jade eyes focusing on each man and woman, looking for any sign of an itchy trigger finger. “Protection, General Organa, is different than a lack of choice. Ben. We need to go, now.”

“Ben,” Leia said just loud enough for her son to hear over the growing chaos. She took a step forward, longing to be closer to her son, whose eyes were alight with conflicting emotions.

“Ben! Now!” Hux barked.

Ben swallowed, tears now streaming down his cheeks as he felt like he was being literally torn in half.  He looked to Hux, who was insistent that they leave, and then to his mother, pleading with him to stay - begging him not to break her heart.  

From somewhere deep in his chest, Ben let out a low groan, pinching his eyes closed and shaking his head.  “No.  No, no no no!”   When his eyes opened again, they were dark and hard, though still glistening with tears.  

“I’m sorry,” he said, just barely over a whisper as his voice cracked with emotion.  He thrust forward one hand, and Leia went flying backward, body making impact with the side of the neighboring shuttle, and crumpling to the ground in an unconscious heap.  The soldiers behind her, momentarily stunned by the sudden turn of events, crowded around their unconscious General.  

Ben gasped, horrified at what he’d just done, and staring dumbly at his hand, as if it had acted without his permission.  His attention was snapped back to the present moment by Hux’s urgent shouting, and he gave one last look to his mother before turning and running to the shuttle with Hux behind him.  

Once inside, Ben wasted no time in hurling himself into the pilot’s seat and rapidly powering up the engines.  Within a minute, they were lifting off, as blaster fire bounced off the exterior of the ship.  He managed to exit the planet’s atmosphere before crumpling in his seat and sobbing.

The General pushed Ben out of the way, taking over the controls until they were safe in hyperspace, rocketing back toward the Finalizer and Hux’s home among the stars. He paused only to send a quick message to his ship that they were on their way with the ID of the shuttle attached before turning to the man now curled up on the ground with his head between his knees. Sighing, the ginger flipped on autopilot and knelt beside the man - his captor, his lover, his savior.

“Come here.  Ben, come here,” Calic murmured as he pulled the taller man closer, wrapping his arms around broad shoulders and letting the Force user cry on his shoulder. “You did what you had to. It’s okay. Just let go.”

Ben made no attempt to stifle his sobs as the First Order General took him into his arms.  He didn’t know what he was feeling anymore, other than pain and confusion.  Had he made the right decision?  He didn’t know.  Only time would tell.  But in that moment, he was simply broken.  

“She’s not hurt…” he murmured between choked sobs.  “I can sense that much.  Not physically, anyway.  But…” He shook his head as a fresh wave of tears began trickling down his cheeks. “I can feel her pain.  Her heartache.  I did that to her, Hux.  I broke my mother’s heart.”  

Ben let his body go limp, slumping down to slide over Hux’s chest and letting his head fall into the other man’s lap.  Whether his choice had been right or wrong, he had made it, and there was no going back, now.  

Hux wasn’t used to consoling people. It wasn’t his job. It wasn’t his place. He only ever spoke a soft word to soldiers on the battlefield as they slowly slipped into death. This - having someone’s head in his lap as they mourned their life - was not within his usual skillset. Still, Calic slowly raised a hand to card through the thick, inky locks spilling over his legs. “It’s alright. You reclaimed yourself. You  _ saved _ me. I’d be getting walked out of my cell at this point, Ben, to be taken out onto the tarmac for a very different reason.”

He sighed, shaking his head and letting the red fringe fall into his eyes. The General needed to send out another notification - to tell Snoke that he wasn’t coming back alone, but with a surprise guest. One that needed help and guidance. “I owe you my life, Ben Solo. And you owe yourself a new one.”

Ben sniffled, lifting his head off the General’s lap and propping himself up to look into the face of the man who would very likely be dead right now if it hadn’t been for him.  That thought stiffened his resolve.  His actions hadn’t been entirely selfish; he had saved a man’s life.  Nevermind that that man was a war criminal, who had ended billions of lives just days before.  That was something to consider at a later time.  

“Calic…” he whispered, unsure of any words to follow.  He reached out to cup the ginger’s cheeks in his palms and leaned forward to press their lips together.  It was all he knew to do, and all he wanted to do in that moment.  

Hux hummed, his brow furrowing slightly as they kissed. It wasn’t exactly the reaction that he expected, but it was a step up from crying on the floor. A little beep jerked the ginger’s attention away. An incoming holo-projection. From the Resistance?

No, he realized as he stood to look at the call. No, not at all. The General gave one glance to Ben, a look of apology in his eyes. With it came a promise: not now, but later. Flipping on the projector, Calic stepped back as an image of the Supreme Leader flickered to life, his great throne caught in a perpetual state of crumbling beneath him, worn away by the years it had been in use.

“Leader Snoke,” Hux stated, pulling Ben up off the floor to stand beside him.

“General.”

“Allow me to--”

“And Ben Solo.”

Ben’s head jerked up to look at the holoprojection when he heard his name spoken, confusion snaking through the recesses of his mind.  How could he know?  Brushing himself off, Ben stood to his feet and swiped an arm across his tear-streaked face.  He had hoped to be in a more presentable state upon meeting this mysterious Supreme Leader of the First Order - to make a better first impression, if this was to be his new Master.  

Addressing the hologram, Ben nodded.  “Yes, I am Ben Solo,” he said in a wavering voice.  “It is an honor to speak to you, Sir.”  His gaze flickered over to Hux before returning to the projection before him.  

Snoke’s head tilted toward the ginger, whose gaze remained firmly in place straight ahead of him. “I’ve been watching you, Ben Solo. I have seen your potential. Your torment. The way you feel torn in two. I’ve seen how you have been caged and leashed. I want to set you free.”

There was a pause, a moment in time where the ginger felt a shiver run over his body, though whether it was from the man projected in the hologram or simply the chill in the air around him, Hux was unsure.

“I want to show you the power of the Dark side.  But to do that, I need your complete loyalty. You will be my student, and in that, you will be mine. Just as the General is.”

Ben felt an icy tingle run down his spine, like cold fingers raking over his skin.  Once he had cleared the tears fully from his eyes, he was able to get a closer look at what sort of person this Supreme Leader was.  The man - if he could be called a man - looked as though he was decomposing right before Ben’s eyes.  He was bent and twisted, with sunken cheeks and no hair, and Ben thought he must have sustained an almost fatal wound at some point.  He had the look of someone undead - a phantom or ghoul.  

Ben shivered as he considered what Snoke was offering him.  He knew almost nothing about the Supreme Leader, aside from the rumors that drifted through the ranks of the Resistance, and most of those rumors were probably not even true.  And yet, he had just turned his back on the only mentors he’d ever known - his family.  If he was going to reach his true potential, he would need a teacher, and in helping the General escape, he had sealed his own fate.  With a sickening lurch of his stomach, he realized that he, himself, was now a war criminal.  He would be hunted, just as the General would be, and he would need the protection of the First Order.  

After casting a nervous glance toward the General, Ben fell to his knees before the tiny projection and, in a broken voice, hoarse from tears, he said, “I pledge myself to you, Supreme Leader.  From this day forward, I will submit myself to your training and guidance.  Show me the power of the Darkness.  I am yours to instruct.” 

The General remained silent, his gaze suddenly dropping to the ground as the man beside him signed away his soul to the Supreme Leader. It was, after all, a contract of his life, not just his training. Snoke did not let go of people until they were of no use to him, and at that point, they did not just walk away freely. It’s why Hux did everything in his power to stay on top, to always have the upper hand and to always be useful. Failures could be overseen. Achievements could not.

“Good,” Snoke rumbled, his voice so low that the ship seemed to rumble from it. “Then I will shape you to be the most powerful Force user that the galaxy has ever seen. You will not submit to the will of the Force, but it will submit to you. Together, we will destroy the man who is Ben Solo, and a new life will rise from the ashes of your once-self.” A pause as the Leader thought - or perhaps he was just reading them both. “You will have power over all things. Life, death...dreams.”

That had Calic’s gaze flicking back to the projection.

“Just like the one I sent to you and the General. You’ll be able to muffle inhibitions, break down mental walls, and slip into people’s minds without them knowing.”

“What?” Hux whispered, his eyes widening. Snoke had...that dream was nothing but a designed plan? A move on the great chessboard that was this war? All of this... _ all of it _ had been orchestrated. [The anonymous tip off…]

“Bring him to me at the end of this week, General Hux, and we shall start his training.”

The hologram vanished.

Ben slumped down onto the floor again as his body began to shiver uncontrollably.  Something inside of him had changed, like a fire that had been burning inside him had been snuffed out, or he’d been stripped of everything that had covered him.  He didn’t understand what all of it meant, though he’d picked up on Hux’s thought about the tip off.  

He looked up at Hux, who seemed nearly as confused and distraught as he felt, himself.  If his suspicion was true - if Snoke had been the one who had alerted the Resistance to Hux’s location - what did that mean for him?  Had he really just signed his life away to someone who would cast him aside without a thought, if it suited his purposes?  He couldn’t believe it.  He  _ wouldn’t _ believe that.  

“Calic,” he said, a note of pleading in his voice.  “What did he mean about the dream?  Do you really think…”  Suddenly, it all made sense.  Hux had told him that Snoke had been watching him for some time - had been scheming to bring Ben over to the dark side.  He must have arranged for the two of them to meet, then planted the thoughts in their heads that led to… 

Ben shook his head.  This was all too much to take in, and he didn’t like the look he saw in Hux’s eyes.  “Hux…”

The ginger shook his head, taking a few steps away from the taller man and toward the benches in the cabin of the shuttle. The Supreme Leader had used him - had almost sentenced him to die at the hands of the Resistance for a petty hope that Ben Solo would come out to play. More than that, Snoke had sent images to his mind, made him unable to think of anything else.

His mind had been so hazy the last few days.

Calic sunk down into a seat. He felt numb - and, yes, he knew that Snoke saw each person that he came into contact with as just another piece in the game, but who in their right mind sends their strongest player out on the front lines? Who twists minds for amusement? No, not amusement, there had to be a better reason for that.

There had to be, because Hux had given away  _ everything _ for the First Order, and if he was nothing more than a sacrifice, then there was no purpose. No importance. And suddenly he was back to being just as worthless as his father believed.

He had given himself to someone he barely knew on a predisposition, pressed into his head by someone else.

The General rubbed his face with his hands. No. No, he wasn’t just going to be someone to be tossed aside. He was better than this. He was better than anyone who came up against him and he would prove that again to Snoke. He would… He would.

“Maker.”

Ben pulled himself up from the floor and walked slowly over to where the General had sat down.  He stood there, watching the ginger for a few moments before taking a seat next to him on the bench.  

“Calic,” he said in a near-whisper, “Don’t shut me out, please.  I’ve just turned my back on everything - on every _ one _ \- I’ve ever known or cared for.”  He sighed, looking down at his hands in his lap.  What could he possibly say to comfort the General?  What could he think to comfort himself?  

Turning back to Hux, Ben said, “So what if he gave us that dream?  It doesn’t matter.  It was a dream.  Yes, it was the beginning of...things.  It was the catalyst that made us look twice at one another.  But that doesn’t mean that everything that came after was meaningless.  Everything I did - leaving the Resistance...defying my own mother - I did it for  _ you. _  That has to mean something.”  

The ginger finally raised his eyes, staring at the taller man with a war of emotions in his gaze. This had all been scripted, right from the beginning. The only thing unwritten was the ending - who survived what, who defied who, how many people would leave the base in a little shuttle speeding toward a Star Destroyer? Hux despised being controlled, but more than that he hated when he couldn’t tell the difference between what was his doing and what was another’s. In his mind, Hux was fighting between trying to collect himself once more and giving in to the urge to just collapse and scream.

“And I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, Mr. Solo. I’m not entirely sure I can ever repay you for the sacrifices you have made for me,” Calic replied, voice low as he tried to hide the little tremble in it. “I…”

Hux shook his head and turned away, desperate to mend the cracks that were appearing in his mask. He wanted to be the untouchable General again. He wanted to be unattainable and unstoppable. He hated the vulnerability and this feeling of breaking. Of shattering from the inside out as his foundations cracked all around him.

“Ben,” Calic finally whispered, correcting the title he gave his lover earlier. “I don’t know what to think.” His voice cracked.

Ben reached out and gently took Hux’s face between his hands, turning him so that they could look into one another’s eyes.  His heart was pounding frantically, and panic was forming a choke hold around his throat, but he swallowed and blinked and finally managed to speak.  

“Then don’t think,” he said quietly, voice cracking.  “Don’t think at all.  Just  _ feel _ .”  Ben dropped one hand from Hux’s face and let it slide down his neck, to his chest, coming to a halt over his heart.  “You know it, and I know it.  What we have been feeling...what we feel now… It’s real.  I don’t care what thoughts and images Snoke placed in our minds.  He could not make us feel what we do.”  

Jade eyes held steady as the ginger felt the warmth and weight of the hand over his heart. That touch that had the General screaming in both pleasure and pain. Ben Solo was...unlike anyone else that Hux had ever met, both in power and in being. He stood out, regardless of whether or not he wanted to. Everybody watched him. Everybody feared him.

Except for Calic.

He acted before he could think about it - feel, Ben had urged, and so he would - leaning forward and pressing their lips together. This was real. There was no denying what had happened between them, even if the start of it came from a falsity. Pulling away, the ginger spun and hit the emergency stop, halting them to simply drift around in space. “I need to feel.”

Ben moved closer to the General, nodding as he reached out to cradle Hux’s face between his hands again.  This time, his fingers just barely grazed the skin of his cheeks as he leaned in and pressed their lips together again.  Almost immediately, his hands slipped away from Hux’s face and his arms looped around the General’s shoulders, pulling him close against Ben’s chest as he deepened the kiss, pressing his tongue into the other man’s mouth.  

Ben wasn’t even sure what was happening anymore.  His whole world was crumbling all around him, but this one thing he felt sure of - this man in his arms - this feeling that had consumed him over the course of the past few days - this was real.  And this was all he wanted - all he needed.  

Pulling back from the kiss for a moment, Ben ran his hands down Hux’s sides, slipping his fingers beneath the ginger’s t-shirt.  He ran his fingertips slowly up the General’s stomach, pulling the soft fabric upwards and urging him to lift his arms so that he could remove it completely.  

Hux grumbled as their kiss was broken, pulling back to finish dropping the fabric to the floor before instantly reattaching himself to Ben’s lips. This - whatever it was that was growing between them - igniting a fire under his skin. In touching the taller man, he became untouchable. In giving himself to the other man, he took control of the galaxy. Calic shifted around, fingers working off the cowl from his lover’s shoulders before pulling off Ben’s shirt.

The General moved once more, twisting until he was facing the taller man with one leg tucked behind Ben and the other draped over his legs. Hux leaned back, breaking their kiss as he asked for something that he couldn’t remember ever really requesting. “Gentle? Make love to me, this time, Ben.”

“Alright,” Ben replied in a hoarse whisper.  He didn’t know how, but somehow he simply  _ knew _ that this request, from this man, was significant.  He reached out a hand to stroke the General’s hair, relishing the feeling of the silky strands as they slipped through his fingers.  He let his fingers glide down the General’s front, to the button of his pants, and pulled it free from the loop.  The zipper came next, and Ben slipped both hands beneath the fabric, palms gliding over the smooth skin of Hux’s backside as he urged him to lift his hips, so that he could pull his pants down over them.  

With his hands at the General’s hips, he pulled him closer, lips seeking out lips once more.  He whimpered softly into the other man’s mouth, feeling all his defenses come crashing down around them.  

The ginger made a soft sound in return, feeling the other man’s pants rubbing against his bare skin and sending little tingles through him. Pale fingers danced across Ben’s chest, feeling their way across the lines of muscle, feeling the soft, smooth skin. Hux’s hands moved steadily downward, finally reaching dark pants and undoing them, slipping one hand into them to palm his lover’s erection as their kiss continued, eliciting a gasp and then a low moan from Kylo. 

Moments later, Calic broke their lip lock once more. “D-Do you have anything, here? Lubrication? Lotion? Anything?”

“I…”  He didn’t know whether there was anything on the shuttle that would work for lubrication, but he refused to allow this detail to interfere with what he desperately desired, now.  

“In the refresher...must be something…” he murmured, face now buried against Hux’s neck.  He didn’t want to move - didn’t want to separate from the other man for even a moment, but not knowing exactly what was in the other room, or where it was located, he didn’t think a Force pull would be successful.  “I’ll go look,” he said, pulling back to look into the General’s eyes.  “Don’t go anywhere,” he said with a teasing grin.

Ben shuffled out from his position, disentangling himself from the other man, and quickly hobbled over to the refresher.  He pulled open the cabinet that held the necessary sanitary and first aid supplies, and quickly located a small bottle of hand lotion.  “Thank the maker that Space is rough on the skin,” he mumbled to himself, and quickly made his way back to where he had left his lover.  He held the bottle up triumphantly, and reached out a hand to pull Hux up from the bench.  

Without another word, Ben had his arms wrapped tightly around the General’s shoulders, pulling him against his own body, and connecting in a heated kiss.  One hand drifted up to tangle in his fiery locks, as the other hand slid down his back, resting at his rear and giving a gentle squeeze.  

[I...I need you.] he projected, choosing not to send the original phrase that had popped into his head.  [I want you, more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.]

[Then have me,] the General projected back without missing a beat. [Keep me, Ben. No matter what happens, keep me. You… I don’t want to pretend that none of this happened.]

“I can’t,” he added in a whisper, gemstone eyes staring up into pools of gold. “I...don’t know exactly where we’d be if Snoke had not interfered with our dreams, but I know that I don’t want to know what would have happened if you and I hadn’t…” Hux’s voice failed him, fading away as he took a step away, breaking the hold that the other had on him as he moved back to the bench they were just on. It was better than nothing.

Slowly, Calic laid down upon the flat surface, gazing up at Ben as he parted his legs, making room for the other man to join him. “One day, we should really try doing this on a bed.”

“Beds are overrated,” Ben said with a little smile, as he crawled onto the bench, hovering over the General.  “You are so beautiful,” he said in a hushed voice. “Like a priceless work of art - too precious to touch.  Has anyone told you that?”  Ben flipped the cap off the bottle of lotion and poured some of it into his hand, spreading it over his fingers.  He leaned in to kiss the other man again as he gently inserted one finger into his lover’s opening, soon followed by a second.  He pressed their bodies together as closely as he could as he began to slowly move his fingers, massaging and stretching to prepare him to receive Ben’s body.  

Pulling back slightly from the kiss, he said, “I don’t know the details...I don’t understand how this has happened...all I know is that when I thought of living without you, I knew I would rather die.”  With these words, Ben pulled his fingers free and positioned himself at the ginger’s opening.  “I don’t know what tomorrow will bring.  I don’t even know what will happen an hour from now.  But whatever may come, I give myself to you.”  

Leaning down to press soft kisses to Hux’s neck, Ben pushed inside and held. 

A broken little sound fell from the General, arms wrapping around his lover’s shoulders. It was different, now, and he could feel it. General Hux did not make love. He did nothing gently, so to ask for it, himself, was a step in a direction of which he had no idea the destination. Even so, he could tell the difference. Noticed the way that his pleasure was not accented by an edge of pain. Noticed how Ben stayed still once they were fully connected with one another - the Force user as far in Calic as he could go. The way those honey eyes turned darker as they gazed upon him, looking at him like he was the most precious thing in the galaxy.

And that was new, too. Come what may…

“I love you,” Hux whispered, so soft that the humming of the shuttle might have stolen it away from him, covered it completely in mechanical noises and the sound of flight. “Maker, I do…”

Ben blinked, unsure whether he had just heard the words that he thought he had heard.  They were spoken so softly, he wasn’t completely certain it hadn’t just been his own wishful thinking.  But when he pulled back and gazed down into the jade eyes of the man beneath him, he knew it hadn’t been his imagination.  He felt tears prickling at the corners of his eyes, and a choked whimper fell from his lips as he said, “I...I love you, too.”  

Then their lips were pressed together once more, and Ben began to roll his hips in a slow, steady rhythm.  Their bodies slotted together like two pieces of a puzzle, and in that moment, time seemed to stand still.  Ben reached out with one hand to find Calic’s, and he laced their fingers together, squeezing.  His other hand ran down Calic’s thigh, tugging lightly at it, urging him to wrap his legs around Ben’s waist.  He wanted to be so tangled up in the other man that it was impossible to know where Calic ended and Ben began.  He wanted to be one.  

The ginger acquiesced, legs lifting and caging around the taller man’s hips, holding them together - keeping them close and adding a small amount of control to the General as he restricted Ben’s motions. Only breaking their kiss when his chest started burning and his lungs cried out, the slighter man pressed their foreheads together instead. Soft sounds and whimpering cries fell from his lips, painting the air between them in pleasure as Hux started to roll his hips back against his lover’s motions.

It had all been leading up to this, hadn’t it? From the moment that Calic was frozen in place to the moment that Ben had made the decision to leave with the General. To turn his back to all that he found familiar and take the ginger’s hand as they braved the unknown.

“Maker, so good,” Hux breathed, fingers tangling in the hair on the nape of Ben’s neck. “Just like that, oh, Force.”

Ben grunted softly, eyes fluttering closed and then open again as he felt Hux moving in time with him.  Each movement sent a new wave of pleasure crashing over him, and his breath shuddered as he panted.  He leaned down to bury his face against Calic’s neck, licking and nipping at the delicate flesh there.  

“Oh...Maker…” Ben whined as he felt his body responding to their gentle touches and rhythmic motions.  That familiar warmth and pressure bubbled up in his core, like a raging river behind a dam as he felt his climax building.  Pulling away from the ginger’s neck, Ben looked into the General’s eyes once more.  “I’m close…” he said reluctantly, not wanting this stolen moment to end - this brief flash in the darkness of time and space.  He wanted to just stay here, separate from the rest of the galaxy, where they could both be free of all expectations - all judgement and condescension.  “I love you,” he whispered again, before pressing his lips against Hux’s in another deep kiss.  

Calic whined into the kiss, his back arching as pleasure raced through his veins and pulsed through his body upon reaching his heart. This - the slowness, the gentleness, the touches that said so much more than words ever could - built up inside the General to twist around inside of him, coiling tightly as their movements continued. Hux reached between them with his free hand, stroking himself in time with the taller man’s thrusts as they started to become erratic. A whine broke their kiss, lithe body trembling and writhing as it was wracked with sensation after sensation until, finally, Calic hit his release, crying out wordlessly between them as white spilled across their stomachs.

“F-Force, Ben!” He gasped afterward, body clenching.

The moment Hux had reached down between them, Ben let go of his own restraint.  Just the thought that the General was so in tune with him - that he was just as aroused as he was, himself - was enough to shove him over the edge of blissful oblivion.  He groaned loudly as his hips bucked forward, twitching and lurching as he released his seed deep inside.  His eyes were squeezed shut, tears trickling from the corners as he whimpered.  

“Maker!” Ben panted, as his climax slowly began to wane.  Gradually, his hips slowed their motions until he was perfectly still, body going limp.  “Don’t...want to...hurt you…” he panted, reluctant to let his full weight fall onto the slighter-framed man.  “So good...Calic…”  He leaned forward to press one more breathless kiss to the ginger’s lips before pulling away.  

“Won’t...won’t hurt me…” Hux breathed out, pulling Ben back down, arms wrapped tightly around him, and legs refusing to relinquish their hold. “Relax.” Despite the way that the word was panted, it held authority. A command more than a request. Unyielding in his wants, the General only loosened his grip when his lover gave in and settled more fully on top of him.

And perhaps Ben weighed more than he had expected, but it didn’t matter. He could catch his breath later. He could still his heart in a moment. He could go back to trying to get control over himself after all of this. Now, though, he just wanted to be as close to Ben as he possibly could. One foot kicked out, disabling the brake and sending them back into motion.

They had time.

And that was something that the General never had before - time.

***

Ben was unsure how long they’d been lying there, pressed together on that hard metal bench.  He had been drifting in and out of a hormonally induced lovesick stupor, blissfully oblivious to time and place and all the cares that had been weighing so heavily on him for the past several days.  Here, in this little cocoon, they were safe, and they were together, and that was all that mattered.  

Ben pushed himself up, lifting his head to gaze down at the General beneath him, and smiled.  “Hey,” he simply said, before nuzzling against the ginger’s neck with a soft sigh of contentment.  “How far are we from your base?”

“Not far enough,” the General answered back, glancing over at the controls before dropping his head back down against the metal. He didn’t want to pull away, but they were drawing ever nearer and the last thing he needed after days of captivity and torture was for his men to find him curled up, naked, with a man that they had never seen before. He had a reputation to uphold. To reinstate.

So, with a sigh, Hux lightly pushed on Ben’s shoulders, urging the other man to sit up before following him, pressing a few, lingering kisses to the Force user’s lips before finally speaking once more. “We need to get dressed. Unfortunately.”

“I was afraid of that,” Ben replied, heaving a sigh.  He rolled off the other man and stood to his feet, extending a hand to help Hux up from the bench.  “I hope I didn’t smash you too badly,” he murmured apologetically.  

Ben gathered his clothes that had been scattered on the floor in their moments of passion, and slowly began to pull them back over his body, shabby and ill-fitting as they were.  Still, it was better than going to meet his new master in the nude.  

“Will we report directly to your Leader?” he asked, as he pulled on his t-shirt and wrapped the cowl back around his shoulders.  He couldn’t quite explain why, but Ben found the cowl comforting - almost like being wrapped in a blanket as a child.  It was warm and...not exactly soft, but worn and comfortable, and somehow it still held a hint of the scent of Calic on it.  Perhaps that was the best reason he had to keep it wrapped around himself.  

Hux pulled on his pants before answering, picking up his discarded shirt from the floor. “No. We’ll meet with Snoke shortly, but it will be a few days. Until then, we’ll get you settled in. We have temporary rooms for guests in parts of the ship far away from any of the First Order activities and…”

The General trailed off there, suddenly realizing that he was frowning as he spoke. Why? He had escaped. He had brought Ben Solo with him. He had survived and was about to reclaim his post once more. All of these things should have be satisfactory, but, for some reason, they all felt empty.

“At the end of this week, you and I will travel to Leader Snoke to meet him in person. Your training with him will begin then.” A pause. A long moment in which Calic danced back and forth over his options. “Of course, my quarters have a guest room, if you’d feel more comfortable staying there for this week.”

Ben nodded as he listened to Hux talk about their plans for the next few days.  The frown that adorned the General’s face was not lost on him, but he sensed that it would be better not to press the man for the cause of it.  

“You would...I mean…” He didn’t know why it should surprise him, that Hux would offer to let him stay with him, but it did.  After all, he was a General - a very high ranking officer in the First Order.  Ben, on the other hand, was barely more than a prisoner.  He may be defecting, but he had fought against the Order, and he had no doubt that his arrival would not be met with a warm welcome from everyone he met.  All the more reason for him to stay close to the General.  

“I don’t want to jeopardize your reputation,” he said, finally.  “Of course, I would rather stay close to you, but you must do what is best for your office.”  Ben glanced down at the floor, a battle raging inside him, as he desperately hoped that Hux would cast aside his doubts and assure him that he wanted Ben to be with him, no matter what.  He hoped, but he would not press his will on the General.  He’d already done enough of that.  

“I think it only fitting that the man who saved me would be repaid by hospitality,” the General answered, biting the inside of his cheek. Yes, he wanted the other man to stay with him and, certainly, there would need to be an explanation as to why the defected Rebel was allowed into the ginger’s quarters when Hux had always been strict against anyone entering his rooms. Professionalism above all things and order for all. More than that, people feared Calic. For him to have a sudden houseguest was for him to seem gener--

“It won’t be easy and it won’t exactly be protocol, but...my reputation was burned into the stars a few days ago. Housing a Force user with little control of his powers while he’s aboard my ship is a responsibility that falls on me.” His words were spoken with a peculiarity - a showing that what he was saying was not the full truth. “I’ll be better able to keep an eye on you if you are near me and I can better bring you up to speed with our operations.”

[I want you to stay.]

Ben looked at the General with eyes that understood, and were thankful for it.  “Well, then, I suppose when you put it that way, it would seem reckless and foolish to allow me to roam free on your ship with no supervision.”  The barest hint of a smile played at his lips as he spoke.  

[I want to stay with you.]

An alert sounded from the console, and Ben looked over to see that they were approaching their destination.  He took his seat in the pilot’s chair and buckled in.  As he looked out of the cockpit, his eyes widened in awe as he took in the form of the behemoth Super Star Destroyer that loomed before them.  Ben had heard stories of these enormous ships in the First Order’s fleets, but he had never laid eyes on one in person, and the sight was intimidating, to say the least.  

Ben gave his copilot a questioning glance, and Hux - seeming to understand what he was thinking - gave him a nod in return.  “That’s incredible,” he said in a hushed voice.  “ _ That _ is the Finalizer…” 

Turning his attention back to the control panel, Ben began making the appropriate adjustments to prepare the shuttle for landing.  A sudden rush of adrenaline coursed through his veins as he felt nervous excitement and apprehension.  Up to this point, the idea of joining the First Order had all been in theory.  Now, it was reality.   

A wave of pride filled the ginger as they approached his ship. He had put his life into getting where he was - commanding the leading vessel in the First Order fleet. He had overcome obstacles and people, thrown away his father’s presumptions about him, and risen above it all. The youngest General that the darkside had ever seen and the youngest graduate to ever grace the Academy. And now it was his.

Hux pulled on his headset, connecting to the flight coordinator of the Finalizer. “General Armitage Hux to the Finalizer, lower the shields and--Lieutenant, I will say this once. Lower the shields without questioning my authenticity and, perhaps, I’ll overlook your inability to warn us about an incoming Rebel ship at the end of my mission. Appreciated.”

Giving Ben a look, Calic flicked his eyes toward the hangar. They were clear to land and, soon enough, they were on their way into the great ship. [It will be okay, Ben,] the General projected as they came to a stop, a crowd of officers and soldiers and medical staff instantly crowding around their ship. [Whatever anyone tells you, follow this one order of mine - Stay close to me. Don’t let anyone separate you.]

“Welcome, Mr. Solo, to the Finalizer and the First Order.”


	9. I am Ready

The moments that followed their arrival on the Finalizer were a blur of activity and confusion.  Ben followed close behind Hux, never letting him get farther than arm’s reach.  Officers and soldiers, alike, gawked at the dark-haired Rebel, and a muffled din of disapproving grumblings filled the air around them.  There were bodies pressing in around them, though most of them seemed much more concerned about their General’s well being than about the stranger he’d brought along.  

Ben watched Hux fondly as he addressed the men and women.  He had a presence that commanded respect, and Ben’s heart swelled with pride at the thought that this same man had, moments before, been tangled up with him in the shuttle, and had invited him to stay in his private quarters.  

He stayed quiet, head down, with the black cowl wrapped tightly around him.  He didn’t feel fear.  After all, he could have incapacitated most of these people, if not all, with a strong blast of Force energy.  What he did feel was a healthy respect for the fact that, if he had wanted to run or fight, he would be far outnumbered.  

[I’ll follow your lead.] he projected, and stayed as close to the General as he possibly could.

Reports were being handed and sounded off to the General as the medical team worked around him, checking over his vitals and periodically prodding at him and turning his head this way and that. More than anything, the people surrounding the pair were nodding in respect to their leader and wanting to make sure that he was, in fact, alright.

Aside from the initial wary glances in his direction, Ben Solo was largely left ignored by the crowd, until Hux introduced him. Then the respect suddenly shifted. Cautious looks turning into ‘Lord Solo’s and salutes as the medical team finished. Calic was handed a datapad and he quickly flipped through it, taking in any information that he’d missed in his absence and quickly delegating work, demanding that he was to be left alone for the rest of the day as he caught up on work and recuperated from his interrogations.

No one dared to question the General’s new shadow as the pair walked away, cheers echoing around them as cries of Hux’s return spread throughout the ship. [I’ll have a droid bring you new clothes. There’s no reason to have you bombarded with people on your first day.] “With me, Mr. Solo.”

Ben nodded and walked in step with Hux, happy and thankful for their departure from the crowd.  As they walked, he looked around him, taking in the sheer enormity of the ship, and the ranks of soldiers marching in formation.  It was all so… orderly.  Everything moved in time, like the cogs in a giant clock.  “This is incredible,” he said, half to Hux and half to himself.  Once they were inside, it was impossible to tell that they were on a ship, and not in an enormous ground structure.  As he took it all in, Ben began to understand a little more about the man at his side.  This was his natural habitat, so to speak.  This was the environment into which he’d been born and bred. This was his way of life - so different from the loose chaotic lack-of-structure in which Ben had been raised.  He liked it.  There was a certain comfort in an environment of order, even if he felt no order within.

Ben stayed quiet as they walked, as if speaking out loud might shatter the perfect illusion that surrounded him - that he might suddenly wake up and find that this was all a dream.  An image flickered through his memory of the two of them walking the halls of the Resistance Base, to the showers and the supply rooms.  No wonder Hux had scoffed at their meager offerings.  

This memory had another effect on Ben, however.  Suddenly, he realized with excruciating clarity that he was ravenously hungry.  [Do you have any decent food in your quarters?] he asked hopefully.  

“My..?” Hux finally turned to look at his companion, having lost himself in the thoughts of everything he had to do before the week was up and he was whisked away to another mission - bringing Ben Solo to Snoke to start the transformation into something, someone entirely new. “Ah. You are my guest, Mr. Solo, and while I would offer to make you something, we do have paid workers for that.”

Calic turned them, veering off course from his quarters to walk them into a lounge. The moment they were noticed, another crowd of people  started forming, greeting their General. It dispersed more quickly this time, with a dismissive wave of the ginger’s hand and a simple word for everyone to carry on. Leading Ben over to the chef, Hux gestured for him to request whatever it was that he was hungry for.

Ben glanced from Hux to the chef and back again several times, completely overwhelmed by the seeming luxury of choosing his own meal.  He finally asked the chef to prepare him something simple - whatever was quick and easy to prepare, and could be easily transported elsewhere, since he was still eager to retreat to the privacy of Calic’s rooms.  

A few minutes later, a serving droid appeared carrying a tray containing an elaborate looking sandwich of some sort, a piece of fruit, and what looked like a berry tart.

The ginger’s eyes flicked from Ben to the meal - a silent show for him to take it so they could be on their way once more. Hux turned on his heel, hands clasped behind his back once more as he walked through the halls like he wasn’t wearing low-end refugee attire, but was rather in his greatcoat and uniform.

“Of course, we will fit you with new clothes that are a bit...higher quality than those you have, now, Mr. Solo, but Leader Snoke will probably have something more suiting to an Acolyte, when we reach him. Until then, however, I’ll have a droid find a few things for you,” the General stated as they approached his quarters, secluded from everywhere else aboard the ship. When he’d punched in the pin code, the doors opened. Calic stepped aside for the taller man. “After you.”

Ben walked in the door, eyes widening as he took in his new surroundings.  The General’s quarters were massive and ornately appointed with every luxury a military officer could want or need.  It was so much more elaborate than anything he’d seen in the Resistance that for a moment, he wasn’t quite sure that this was actually their final destination.  When the door closed behind them, though, and Hux stepped past him into the room, he could tell by the ginger’s casual demeanor that this was, in fact, his home.  

“This is...very impressive,” Ben said, still looking around at the space they had entered, before turning to face the General.  His entire persona seemed to shift here, and Ben felt a sharp twinge of panic.  What if everything leading to this point would be forgotten, now that they were back in Calic’s familiar territory?  Now that he was safe, among his own people, in his own home, what if he realized that Ben had only been a diversion - a security blanket of sorts?  

“Well…” he said, tentatively, “Where will I be staying?”

Arching a brow, the General turned to his guest, one hip cocked slightly as he crossed his arms over his slender chest. “The guest room is through those doors. Everything in there is clean and unused, so feel free to make yourself at home.”

His tone was clipped at first, factual with no room for any kind of misinterpretation. An answer to a question before the mask of his profession dropped away once more. Calic stepped forward, reaching out to rest his hands on Ben’s lower stomach. “Before any of that, though, sit. Eat. There’s no reason to hide away when we’re the only people on this  hall.” His voice was softer, now - not quite gentle, but something much more relaxed. Inviting. “Come.”

With that, Hux led them into the dining area, pulling out a seat to show the taller man where to place himself before slipping back into the kitchen to make himself some tea. He caught his reflection in the parasteel covering the front of his oven, bruises blooming and bloodstained. He sighed, shaking his head against the memories of each hit and instead focused himself back into the present - using those guards as a rejuvenation of his hatred toward the Resistance.

“Would you like a cup, Ben?”

“Please,” he answered, unwrapping his food and examining the sandwich.  It appeared to contain some type of meat, though he wasn’t entirely sure what kind it was.  Still, it smelled good, and he was hungry enough that he was beginning to think dirt sounded appealing.  “Are you going to eat?” he called over his shoulder to Hux.  “You must be hungry, too.  Neither of us had much of anything to eat while we were...there.”  

Ben couldn’t quite bring himself to label the place from whence they’d just come.  It hadn’t been his home, though it had felt more like home than this strange place.  But calling it “the Resistance Base” felt too cold and detached.  He had just turned his back on the Resistance, but in his heart, he was still the son of Leia Organa and Han Solo.  He shook his head sadly.  He was going to have to stop thinking of himself that way.  He had made his choice - shifted his alliance - even attacked his own mother.  Ben Solo was no more.  In order to survive, he needed to evolve - to become something altogether different - something better.

Ben ate his sandwich quietly, lost in thought until Hux returned to the table, carrying two tea cups.  Hux set one down in front of him, and he picked it up and sipped it immediately.  Ben had never been all that excited about tea, but in that moment, it tasted like nectar from the gods.  Placing the delicately crafted tea cup down on its saucer with a soft clinking sound, he looked at Hux and offered a half-hearted smile.  “Thank-you.” 

“You’re not the one who should be doing the thanking,” Calic responded, taking a seat beside the taller man and sipping on his own drink. Already, his mind was starting to put together a list of things he needed to do - both for Ben and for his crew. Captured or not, the General held the fate of the First Order in his hands. He was responsible for overseeing the war and that included delegating and remaining in control, even if he was stolen away for some time.

Placing his cup back down, Hux shook his head. “I’ll eat later. I have...too much on my mind. Oh! But…” He moved away, finding a datapad and quickly sending for a droid to bring new clothes for both of them, ordering the robot to bring a few different options for the Force user. When he returned, the ginger pulled his chair just a few inches closer to Ben’s, unsure about exactly where they stood and what was going on in the other man’s mind, but still wanting to be close.

“Ben,” he stated after taking a breath. “You are a man of power and passion and struggle. I’m not going to tell you that it will be easy to reinvent yourself and your life, but...you won’t be stifled, here. Dark, light, or somewhere in between, Leader Snoke will teach you how to unlock your potential.”

Ben took another sip of his tea and considered the General’s words.  Knowing what he now knew about the Supreme Leader, he highly doubted the man would be teaching him anything about the Light.  But then, what good had the Light ever done Ben Solo?  He was never adequate according to the Jedi standards, constantly told that there was far too much darkness in him.  Perhaps the Dark side was where he belonged.  

Ben glanced over toward the door to the guest bedroom, then to the door next to it.  “Is that your room?” he asked, nodding in that direction.  “May I see it?”  His sandwich was ⅔ eaten, and he’d nearly finished his tea.  He was suddenly taken with the desire to see the bedroom of the man he’d given himself to - this man he still knew so very little about, but felt bound to in nearly every conceivable way.  He scooted his chair away from the table and stood up, stretching, though he made no move toward the bedroom, waiting for Hux to give his consent.

Pushing himself away from the table, Calic sauntered over to his room, opening to doors and ordering the lights to turn on. “If you’d like, please do so.”

Ben walked in and looked around.  As soon as he’d entered the room, he was nearly overwhelmed with the latent energy the General had left there.  He had touched nearly everything in this room - spent hours there, mostly sleeping, he supposed, but present, nonetheless.  Ben closed his eyes as he wandered further into the space, a soft smile gracing his lips as he immersed himself in the ebb and flow of Force energy.  Suddenly stopping and turning on his heel, Ben looked to the General and held out his hand.  “Come here?” he said, half request, half command.  “Please?” he added. 

Hux moved almost instantly, stepping forward. He tapped a few things as he made his way to Ben, setting things in their place or merely reinstating that he was the owner of one thing or another. Eventually, he took the outstretched hand in his own, coming to a stop right in front of the taller man. Tilting his head slightly, the ginger waited, wondering what was going on in this man’s head and, not for the first time, wishing he could slip into the minds of others as simply as Ben seemed to be able to. “Yes?”

“I like this room.  It feels like you,” Ben said, unsure of his exact reasoning for asking Hux to join him.  “I know you have a lot of work to do,” he said, almost contritely, “but…” He sighed, knowing any suggestion he could make would most likely be rebuffed.  Still, he was compelled to ask it anyway.  “I was just thinking that this is the first time you and I have been together in a room with an actual bed.  And…”  He shrugged, turning to glance at the bed in question.  “I guess I just wondered if we could just lay together for a few minutes.”  

Ben felt the blush rise to his cheeks.  The words that had come out of his mouth sounded foolish, even to himself.  Yet he wanted it so desperately - to be close to Calic - that it was worth the risk of sounding foolish, if there was even the slightest chance that the General might grant his request.

Hux sighed, glancing back toward the door before looking back at Ben - the man who saved him from death, from an abrupt end. From a blast to the back of his head and a life ended too soon. To the man who had haunted his dreams and his mind. The man he had admitted to loving.

“There will be a droid coming soon with new clothes, but it will just leave them in a box beside the door and be on its way,” the General stated as he reached down to kick off his shoes. “But I don’t see the harm in a few minutes.”

Ben relaxed visibly, following Hux’s lead and toeing off his own shoes before climbing onto the bed.  The feel of a real, soft mattress beneath his body felt like a small slice of paradise, and when the General nestled in beside him, it felt even more wonderful.  Ben draped an arm over Hux’s waist, scooting as close as he could to the other man and leaning close to look into his eyes.  

A rush of emotion swept over him, taking Ben completely off guard and leaving him shaken in its wake.  He blinked, willing himself not to crumble yet again in front of the stoic General, but he couldn’t stop the single tear that trickled down his cheek and buried itself in the fabric of the pillowcase beneath his head.  He forced a smile, feeling small and shy and ridiculous.  Never in his life, had Ben met someone who was able to touch him so deeply that it was almost painful, and yet intoxicatingly wonderful at the same time - almost like a healing ointment being poured over an open wound.  It burned as it purified.  

Finally gathering the courage to speak, Ben said, “On the shuttle...we...said some things.”  He let the statement hang in the air between them for a moment before continuing.  “I just want you to know that I meant every word.”  

For a long moment, Hux didn’t speak. He remained stony and silent and simply watched the other man. Jade eyes flicking back between frosting over and flickering from some unknown light within the ginger. He watched Ben warily, trying to gauge just how much the man was being truthful and how much was trying to gain his sympathy. It was silly, really - the Force user came to him, fell for him, and came together with him while Hux was captive, not the other way around. He broke Calic out, defected from his family and the Resistance, there would be no need to get sympathy, but the General was too programmed to simply let those statements go.

“Ben…” The ginger stopped there, sighing as he glanced toward the door when the droid entered his quarters and then left, completely oblivious to the two men in the bedroom. Hux turned back toward the taller man, slowly leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to the man’s lips. “I never speak a word that I don’t mean. I said what I did because it was the truth. That hasn’t changed, though it may be more complex, now.” Another kiss. “I still love you.”

Ben smiled softly, reassured by the words and the tender kisses he received.  He lifted one large hand to card through the ginger’s silky hair before coming to rest at his cheek and leaning in to press their lips together once more, this time lingering and deepening as he spread his lips and pressed his tongue into Hux’s mouth.  [I love you, too] he projected.  

*** 

By the time that the first week passed, the ginger had somehow managed to catch up with everything that he’d missed and delegated responsibilities to everyone in preparation for taking Ben to Leader Snoke, himself. It wasn’t something that Hux was looking forward to, but he would follow orders without question. 

Which was exactly what landed him in this situation to begin with.

“Have you thought at all about what I told you, Ben? About picking a new identity as well as a new life? Surely the Supreme Leader will rename you if you don’t let go of your ties, yourself.”

Ben nodded contemplatively.  “I have.  But I’m not sure that I’ve come up with anything very impressive.”  

Ben’s first week with the First Order had gone by quickly.  What time he was not with Hux, he was usually to be found either training or meditating, immersing himself in the Force and willing himself not to grieve the mother and the life he’d left behind.  As much as he knew he had to, and even wanted to, make a new name and life for himself, he could not completely embrace the idea of severing all ties with his former life.  

The name Solo meant very little to Ben.  His father, Han Solo, had been barely present for most of his childhood and into his young adult life.  What little he did see of his father usually entailed fighting with his mother or the sight of his back as he walked away.  Still…

“I had toyed with the idea of ‘Skylo’” he said, still not satisfied with the sound of it as it rolled off his tongue.  “It’s like...Skywalker and Solo combined, see?”  He bit the inside of the cheek and frowned with a shrug.  “I don’t know.” 

The ginger raised a brow as the other man spoke, listening to his ideas while pulling out a bag to pack. He dropped it on his bed before turning to face Ben more directly. Skylo. He thought about it, playing with the name in his mind for a bit as he rolled over it. Hux didn’t like it - didn’t like thinking about the man in any other way than ‘Ben Solo’. And yes, a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet, but a name was an identity and an identity held character. It held memory. It held more than just a few letters strung together.

“Why Skywalker? You’ve never been a Skywalker,” the General commented idly, sitting down on the edge of his bed. “You’re an Organa. Royal blood, even it’s turned to lead.” A pause. “Skylo. Solo. Skywalker. Organa. Ben. Or-en? Orlo? Ren? Ren.”

Ben felt an odd sort of frustrated anger rising up inside him.  “I have  _ never _ been an Organa,” he insisted.  “Organa is my mother’s adoptive name - not the name of the family whose blood runs through her veins - through  _ my _ veins.  She is the daughter of Anakin Skywalker, and I am every bit as much a Skywalker as I am a Solo.  More so, since my father has no Force abilities at all.”  He tried to mask the disdain in his voice, but the attempt fell short.

“Ren is good, though.”  Ben flopped on the bed, lying on his back next to Hux’s luggage and staring up at the ceiling with his hands folded behind his head.  He sighed deeply, wondering what his mother would say about him completely eschewing the name of Organa.  It would hurt her, he knew.  After all, even though they were not related by blood, Leia dearly loved the Organas, who had raised her from the time she was a newborn.  Try as he might, though, he just could not let go of some link to the name Skywalker.  He turned the sounds over in his mind again and again, rearranging them, testing them, jumbling them again.  

“Kylo,” he said, weighing the name on his tongue.  “Kylo Ren.”  He repeated it a few more times before turning his head to look over at Calic, arching an eyebrow in an implied, “Well?” 

“Kylo Ren,” the ginger repeated, testing how it sounded. It was a strong name. Dramatic, but perhaps that suited the taller man. Hux laid back, stretching out on the other side of his bag as he considered it. Rolling onto his side, the General smirked, reaching out with one hand to rest it against the taller man’s chest. “I think it works. It sounds like you. Skywalker or not.”

Hux kicked the bag to the floor, shifting closer to his lover. “A bit of advice from someone who’s been playing in this war game for far too long? Don’t let the past define you. Let it drive you. Let Ben Solo die if Kylo Ren is to live.”

Ben rolled onto his side to face the General, his face pinched in thought.  He understood what Hux was saying, but there was a part of him that refused to accept it.  After all, how could he deny the person he had been all those years?  If he killed Ben Solo, what would be left?  Uncertainty and apprehension swirled in his mind like a cloud, and deep in his soul, he heard a whispered voice telling him, “This isn’t right.  You know better than this.  This goes against everything you’ve been taught, all your life.”  

“I know,” he said, squelching the voice inside.  “There’s no going back.  I’m not who I was.  I will be more than I am.”  Even as he spoke the words, Ben felt something break inside him, like an insect sting in his spirit.  He blinked, inhaling sharply as he sat up.  The inner voice had grown quieter.

Hux followed him instantly, sitting up and not letting the taller man leave. Pale hands turned Ben’s head back toward the ginger, jade eyes meeting honey. A moment later, the General pressed their lips together, humming into the kiss as he shuffled closer to the Force user. His own self had been burned when he was chosen by Snoke. The man he once was - the almost timid, weak boy, hated by his father and left by his mother - torn from him and set aflame, scorched and turned to ash as General Hux rose.

“What you will be doing is not easy, Be--Kylo. I won’t tell you that it won’t hurt. Snoke operates on negative reinforcement more than anything. But you’re… You are so much more than you know,” Calic whispered, kissing his lover once more. 

Ben felt his muscles begin to relax as he gave himself over to the General’s arms around him and the lips pressed against his own.  The fact of the matter was that this was the path he had chosen, come what may.  And whatever might happen in the future with Snoke, he felt sure that he could persevere as long as Hux was by his side.  

Sighing softly, Ben leaned back on the bed, pulling Calic with him as he deepened the kiss, hooking one leg over the ginger’s and pressing their bodies together as closely as he could.  It wouldn’t be long, now, before he would stand before his new master.  But for now, all he wanted was to be one with his lover.  

Hux chuckled into the kiss, breaking away now and again in a little show of tease - their lips never parting far and always finding one another in return. Soft nothings fell between them as they whispered to one another. Encouragement, support, promises. Everything fell between them and into the slightly cool air in the room. The ginger rested his hands over Ben’s chest for a moment before one moved up to cup his lover’s cheek.

Jade eyes sparkled with something that didn’t quite have a name. Something that was more devoted than love and stronger than fear. Some inner flame that drove the ginger to become what he was, now. A candle in the wind that was now offered to Ben. “Tell me what you want, Ben.”

Ben studied Hux’s face, eyes scanning each feature before moving on to the next.  His gaze fell to Calic’s lips and then up to his eyes.  “I want… the only thing in that galaxy that matters to me, now.  I want you.  I don’t know what will happen when we go to meet the Supreme Leader, but I have a feeling it won’t be all picnics and love poems.  I want you to make love to me so that I’ll remember it clearly the whole time we’re there.  I want you to leave your mark all over my body.  I want you to make me yours.”  

The General paused for only a breath, leaning forward to press their lips together. “I need you. I love you,” he whispered, his thumb brushing over Ben’s cheekbone in little circles. Pulling away, he gazed into the other man’s eyes. His heart fluttered, mind flickering over the options they could go through. All the ways they could make love -  _ make love _ , not fuck. That was for another time. “Okay. But, something else.” A pause, a kiss, a soft expression. “I want you to ride me. I want to be able to watch you and touch you.”

Ben nodded his consent, a chill sweeping over him at the mental image of himself astride the General.  His eyes flickered down to Hux’s lips and back to his eyes once more, and he reached out to begin unbuttoning his top.  He was amazed at how, over such a short period of time, they had grown so comfortable with one another, surrendering their bodies, one to the other, time after time.  It almost felt as though they’d been waiting their entire lives to come together, and now that they had found each other, they were scrambling to make up for lost time.  

“I love you,” he whispered, slipping his hands beneath the dark fabric, once he had it open down the front.  “Maker, I’ve never felt this way about anyone, ever.”  Leaning forward, Ben nuzzled against the General’s bare chest, dusting his skin with feathery soft kisses and little love nips.  His lips made their way across his chest until they found a nipple, and he licked and sucked at it for a few moments, until he felt it perk beneath his touches.  Smiling, he rolled Hux onto his back, and climbed over him, straddling his waist.  

“Maker, you tease,” the ginger groaned, hands raising up to unbutton his lover’s shirt from the bottom up. His fingers grazed along the slightly tanned skin beneath, brushing over the muscles and making them twitch as he slowly made his way up to the collar of the dark shirt that Ben had taken to wearing around the ship in his time, here. “I love you, too,” he finally answered, hands running down the Force user’s sides before moving up to push the shirt from Ben’s shoulders.

It startled the General - nearly every time that he thought about it over this week - how quickly they had gone from pulling against one another to pushing closer. Drawn like magnets finally facing in the right direction, instead of repelling one another violently. And, perhaps, Snoke had been the one to shove them in that direction, sending them images of one another and lowering their defenses. Perhaps he had done a great deal more than either of them would ever know, but they were here, now. Still together. Still exploring one another in a relationship without a distinct power dynamic such as captor and captive. “Stunning.”

“That’s just what I was thinking,” Ben replied, smiling and shivering at the sensation of fingertips lightly grazing his exposed skin.  He leaned down to place a quick kiss against Calic’s lips and remained close, resting his forehead against the other’s for a moment, looking into his eyes.  His gaze darted to one side with a subtle smirk as he lifted his hips and guided a hand between their bodies to unbuckle the General’s belt and unbutton his pants.  Pressing his palm firmly against the bulge in Hux’s boxers, he let his eyelids flutter closed.  

“I don’t know why you want me…” Ben whispered, opening his eyes and slowly leaning back to get better leverage.  “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the knowledge that I could ever have this effect on you.”  His fingers curled loosely around the General’s erection, through the thin fabric.  “But, Maker...I’m glad that I do.”  His lips turned upward at the corners and his lifted himself enough to grab hold of Calic’s waistband and pull his pants and boxers down past his hips.  

***

That evening, they made their way to their ship, people bustling around them in hordes as the General was asked question after question pertaining to the running of the ship. Never the mission itself or his reasons for going - people knew better than that and trusted him more than to meddle where they ought not. As the blaster doors closed behind them, Ben and Calic tucked their travel bags away and slipped into the cockpit. The ginger was quick to let his lover fly, taking up a place in the copilot chair and plugging in the coordinates.

“On your mark, we’re clear for take off.”

Ben stole a sidelong glance at Hux, smiling discreetly.  He was more than happy to be back in the pilot’s seat and flying again.  After all, a love of flying ran through his veins.  He looked over the controls, folding his hands in front of him and stretching till his knuckles popped.  With a happy sigh, he said, “All clear.  Let’s do this!” 

Once they were safely adrift in hyperspace, Ben turned to Hux.  “Should I be nervous?” he asked, as if the answer made any difference.  The fact was that he was nervous - very nervous.  He’d never actually met a Dark side Force user before, but if the stories he’d heard were to be believed, it was not an encounter that one took lightly.  And if Snoke was as powerful as he led everyone to believe…

Ben felt an odd mixture of apprehension and excited anticipation.  He felt almost giddy - like a child on his first trip to the zoo.  “What is he like?  Snoke, I mean.”

“Of course you mean Snoke,” Hux stated back, his voice almost flat as he spoke. Taking off his headset and swiveling his chair to face the taller man, the ginger propped his feet up in Ben’s lap, resting them there in a sort of claim that was missed by everyone - after all, with no one around, it was hard for people to read the little show of ownership.

Calic sighed. “He’s...intense. Powerful. I’ve seen him do things that I can only understand as magic and--no. I’m not starting this argument, again. I don’t care what you think the Force is, you haven’t seen what Snoke can do. I don’t think I’ve ever met a stronger person. Or more cunning. He knows what he’s doing and he won’t take any sort of failure.”

Which made the General nervous to be heading into his nest. Getting himself captured, whether or not it was the Leader’s plan all along, was not exactly something that would go unpunished. “Just always stay on your toes with him.”

Ben nodded, sucking on his lower lip as his gaze fell to the floor.  “Where is his base?  Where are we headed, anyway?” he asked next, glancing at the coordinates Hux had entered into the console.  The star system was not one that he recognized, and that was saying something, since Ben had thought he knew just about every star system in the galaxy.  He couldn’t quite stifle his jitters, and his left leg had taken up a frenetic sort of tapping.  Whatever it was they were walking into, Ben was quite certain he was absolutely unprepared.  

“Consider it an undisclosed location. There are quite a few when it comes to Snoke,” Hux answered with hardly a beat between their voices. The answer was clipped, but rightfully so - it was something that had been beaten and burned into his head again and again. The Supreme Leader was not meant to be questioned. Divulging his location was a betrayal. Secrets were a betrayal. Anything that he did not give out, himself, was a betrayal. And that was a lesson that the ginger had seen many suffer and had sworn to himself not to be forced into. “We’re going directly to his throne.”

Silence fell upon them, then, heavy and pressured as they flew. A moment more, and the General was moving away from his seat to meander aimlessly around the cabin of their shuttle. ‘Clear your thoughts, silence your mind, clear your thoughts, silence your mind,’ he repeated over and over in his head. He stepped back into the cockpit, hovering beside the taller man and looking down at their readings.

“I never truly thanked you for everything you’ve done.”

Ben looked up at the General, tilting his head slightly.  “You’ve thanked me,” he said softly, wondering what was going through the other man’s mind.  He’d picked up on Hux’s attempts to clear his own mind, and he was unsettled by the general air of apprehension that had fallen over his normally stoic companion.  

“In a way, I think I should be thanking you,” Ben continued.  “I’ve never felt so free in my life, and I…” He paused, looking back at the control panel before speaking again in a low voice.  “Well, I’m really glad I met you.”  

The General glanced around them as though someone might materialize suddenly and see what he was about to do. It was a silly notion of course. They were hurdling through space, in a little ship, completely alone. No one was going to appear. No one was going to know anything, except, perhaps, Snoke, who tended to just appear in people’s minds.

Regardless, Calic moved, knocking one of Ben’s hands away from the steering mechanism to take up a place in his lap, curling against his chest and letting his legs hang off one side of the chair. In quiet tones, he spoke. “You still don’t scare me, you know? After everything. I will admit to...holding respect for your abilities, but I’m not intimidated. You are more than what you let on. Throughout all of what’s ahead, just remember that. You’re not a monster, but a man.”

Ben looked up when his hand was swept away from the controls, and immediately slipped his arms around the General’s waist as he settled in Ben’s lap.  “I love that you’re not afraid of me,” Ben murmured, brushing his lips against Calic’s temple as he spoke.  “Because I would never hurt you.”  

Ben brushed the hair away from Hux’s face.  “How long do we have before we reach Snoke?” he asked, suddenly wishing they were going anywhere but their actual destination.  

“An hour, maybe. It’ll take a bit to navigate the planet once we reach it, but it’s not that far of a jump from where we were,” Calic answered, fingers moving to trail over his lover’s features and gently dance over the bridge of Ben’s nose. “Just enough time to let the thought of the future drive you mad, but not enough time to actually accept it.”

The statement was only half a tease and much closer to what was happening in the ginger’s mind than he would ever care to admit. “After that...who knows how long he’ll keep us there.”

Ben’s lips turned downward in a slight pout, but he leaned into Calic’s touch and let his eyes slip shut.  He reached up with one hand to take hold of Hux’s wrist and turned his head to press his lips to the ginger’s palm.  He released his grip on Hux and let it fall into their laps.  “I’m glad you’re here, with me,” he said quietly, then added with a little chuckle, “I guess I’m a little nervous.”  He looked into Calic’s silver-green eyes and instantly felt himself calm a little.  Slowly, he leaned in to press a kiss to Hux’s lips.  

Calic trembled in return, pulling away just a moment later. Clear your thoughts, silence your mind. That order was given to himself once more as he slowly returned to his chair, putting his headset back on and making sure that everything was working properly. Once he was certain that everything was in order, the ginger stood once more, moving away from where they were. “Come with me to the back. There are benches back there. Just put it on autopilot. We’re on the right path. Just come sit with me.”

Ben turned to the console and made the necessary adjustments to put the ship into autopilot.  Double-checking that everything was in order, he nodded in satisfaction and rose from his seat to follow Hux to the back.  His mind and body were humming with a swirling cloud of emotion and thought.  He knew he had to center himself, but he had never been very good at that exercise in discipline.  

Smiling, he took his place next to Hux on the bench where the ginger had settled.  He placed a large hand on Calic’s thigh and looked over at his lover.  “Are you alright?” he asked softly.  

Hux’s gaze was steady when it fell upon the taller man, raking over him with embers of jade and silver. There was a never-dying flame in them, though it was controlled, now. Smothered and held back by something else. “I failed him,” Calic finally stated, dropping a hand to cover the one on his leg, holding it there with a little squeeze. “Whether or not he gave you the tip. I failed the Leader. Going directly to him…” A long pause fell over the ginger. “Perhaps I’m nervous as well.” 

Ben turned his hand so that his palm faced upward under Calic’s, and laced their fingers together, keeping his gaze locked on that of his lover.  His brow furrowed in thought and frustration as he considered the best reply to this statement.  “But, surely if the Supreme Leader orchestrated the whole thing, he wouldn’t consider your capture a failure, would he?”  Somehow, though, Ben knew this was not the case.  From what he had gleaned over the week he’d spent with the First Order, he had pieced together that this Leader Snoke was not a reasonable man.  Furthermore, he seemed to take pleasure in punishing his men, whether they were truly at fault or not.  

Ben looked down at their clasped hands, then back to Calic’s face.  He could feel the tension billowing from him in waves, and he wanted to comfort him.  “Whatever happens,” he finally said, “and whether Snoke intended it or not, we have each other.  I will never leave you.  I love you.”   He lifted his other hand to tenderly cup Hux’s cheek, letting his thumb lightly graze Calic’s lower lip.  “We’re going to be alright,” he said, and leaned forward to kiss him once more, slowly and gently.  

Hux fell into the kiss much easier than he ever should have, melting against the touch on his cheek and the sparks that rippled through his body. He wasn’t sure if the calmness settling over him was something influenced by Ben or if it was finally his own mind accepting that whatever Snoke decided to do in retaliation to his failure, the General could do nothing to stop it. Either way, though, Calic made a soft sound as they parted, much more at ease than before.

“If that’s you,” the ginger murmured in regard to the stillness of his thoughts. “Then don’t stop. I don’t remember a time that my head’s been quiet. I… It’s been so long.”

The words were followed by another, quick kiss. One that didn’t linger or pause. It was fleeting - there and gone within a moment before it could be fully recognized. Hux hid his face in the crook of Ben’s neck, turning sideways in his seat as much as he could until he could close his eyes and know nothing but the man beside him.

Ben wrapped himself around the General as best he could, gathering him in his arms and pulling him into his lap.  He did his best to focus his energy into creating a calming aura around them both, and followed it with his body, gently rubbing Hux’s back with one hand and stroking his hair with the other.  He couldn’t imagine the horrors that Calic had seen, both in his training and in actual combat, but he did understand what it was like to have an unquiet mind.  If he could do nothing else for the man in his arms, he could at least help to silence the demons in his head, if only for a few minutes.  He leaned back against the wall, and let Hux lean against him, and whether it was by his own Force ability, or from some unknown connection he shared with the General, Ben also felt more at ease than he had for some time.  

“You know,” he whispered, “We could change our course and just leave.  We could leave it all behind, and go somewhere no one would ever find us.”  It was a ridiculous thing to suggest, and he knew it, but somehow, he couldn’t help himself from saying it.  

“You speak of treason. Of abandoning a post overseen by the Supreme Leader, himself,” Hux answered with a shake of his head. “We’d never… There is no place to run. No place in this galaxy that he would not find us. He knows everything. He sees everything.”

The words were almost distant - yet another thing that was so beaten into the General’s mind that his response, his tone, were mechanical. But wasn’t it true? He had been told that, taught that, branded with that. To betray Snoke was to sign a death certificate. It was to give up hope not just in the war, but in survival as well. Calic shook his head, looking away as he wiggled around to get more comfortable in his new seat.

“There’s nowhere else to go.”

Ben sighed, knowing it was true.  Or, at least, that it was what the Supreme Leader wanted everyone to believe was true.  “Then we stay the course, and take whatever comes,  _ together _ ,” he said softly, still stroking the ginger’s hair.  “We’ll be alright, as long as we have each other.”  Ben bent his neck to place a kiss on Calic’s forehead.  “I love you,” he whispered, again. 

The rest of the trip was spent in silence - the two men soaking in the comfort of the other, no matter how many times that Hux tried to make himself believe that he didn’t need this - to be held, supported, told again and again that he wasn’t alone and hear that baritone song whisper three words again and again. It took another half an hour to actually land their shuttle. The place they were at looked like it had been through every hell imaginable. It was crumbling, cracked. The great stone that built it up turning into rubble.

The first Sith temple. And one of the last. It was hidden away from the galaxy, tucked in a far corner of the cosmos that no one could find. No one ever wanted to find. Hux was the one that urged them onward, that pulled them both out the blast doors and onto the cobblestone walkway that led toward the massive structure. That feeling was back - fingers crawling over him, inside his mind. Picking at the thoughts they sought and shoving the rest of them away. The General did his best to remain calm, to give Snoke whatever he wanted instead of making them man take it from him. 

The entire journey from the shuttle to the once-great Sith temple was filled with an overwhelming dread.  Disembodied voices whispered in Ben’s mind, and their messages were not pleasant.  His body shivered repeatedly, though he wasn’t cold, and his skin seemed to prickle with a static charge that hung in the air like a dense, black fog.  

They stopped at the grand entrance.

“Are you ready, Kylo?”

  
Calic’s voice pulled him from his thoughts with a start.  Kylo.  Yes, that was his name, now.  Once he stepped through this massive, crumbling door, Ben Solo would be left behind.  The person he had been would have to be put to death, and from the ashes of Ben Solo would rise Kylo Ren.  His body was wracked with a final, violent shudder, but he nodded.  

“Yes, I’m ready.” 


	10. Control

The doors opened on their own, beckoning them inward as Snoke bid them welcome. This was not a location that Hux had visited time and time again, but it was a simple enough layout. Training areas on one side, final testing place on the other. Rooms and floors above them filled with conference areas and fighting rings, meditation places and sleep areas. Ahead, lies the chamber they would soon enter, facing Snoke directly.

Calic slowed his steps as they neared the throne area, gesturing for Ben to go ahead of him. “He wants to see you more than he wants to see me.”

Ben gave a solemn nod, and swallowed thickly.  His heart was pounding, blood pumping loudly through his ears as he turned back to face the open door.  He took a deep breath and began walking into the cavernous room.  Each step was a momentous effort as he made his way down the pathway that led to the throne.  The lighting was dim, and he could barely make out the form of a man seated there.  Was it a man?  He couldn’t be sure, but he could feel the weight of Snoke’s gaze on him with every move he made.  Ben glanced behind once, twice, to make sure that Hux was still there.  His blood felt icy in his veins.  

After what felt like an eternity of walking, Ben approached the throne.  Revulsion curled in his stomach as he beheld the man who was to be his new master.  He looked ancient - as if he had already begun to decay while still alive.  His body was bent and twisted, and his jaw was set at an odd angle.  His bony, claw-like fingers drummed impatiently on the arms of the massive chair in which he sat, and his body was nearly covered in heavy gray cloaks.  The heaviness of the Force energy which surrounded him was palpable, and Ben felt it weigh on his shoulders like a lead blanket.  He fell to his knees and bowed his head.  

“Master,” he said in a low voice.  

“Supreme Leader,” Hux greeted, standing beside his lover, jade eyes frosted once more as he gazed upon the throne.

“General,” came the cool reply. “We will talk of your failures later.” That was all that Snoke had to say to Hux, as he focused his attention on the run-away Rebel. “Ben Solo.”

The Leader’s voice echoed around the room - bounced off every wall and returned to them like chanting jeers before it finally collapsed in on itself and vanished. Hux’s hands tightened behind his back, holding on to one another as he tried to put all of his nervousness there. He wouldn’t shake. He wouldn’t tremble. He would not appear weak before the man who held his very fate within his broken hands and spider fingers.

“You,” Snoke rumbled, head tilting as he gazed upon his new student. “You are more your grandfather than your mother or uncle ever led you to believe. It is your blood. It is your legacy. This,” he gestured around him to the crumbling walls. “This is where it all began. This is where it will  _ always _ begin.” A smirk broke across the Supreme Leader’s lips as the General pushed forth a name. “Kylo Ren. A suitable name for a warrior. The new chapter of the Dark Side will be written in your hand, Kylo Ren.”

Ben lifted his face to look at the being before him.  He was sure that Snoke could sense everything going on in his mind, and the thought made him sweat.  He glanced at Hux, and instantly understood how Snoke had known the name he had chosen.  

“Thank-you, my Master.  I am eager to learn the ways of my grandfather and those who came before him.  I put myself at your disposal completely.”  Even as he said the words, he felt a chill run down his spine.  What was he saying?  He almost felt like the words were coming from somewhere else, not from his own mouth.  Yet, it was his voice that echoed through the massive chamber.  He rose to his feet and brushed off his knees which had been pressed against the dusty floor.  

“When do we begin?"

The crooked smile that appeared on Snoke’s face was nothing short of chilling. “We already have. For years, we have been calling to one another. And I have been waiting for you to be...seduced...by the darkside.” The man sent a look at Hux who instantly dropped his gaze to the floor, unwilling to look upon such an open taunt. A jab - one that was more true than it was not, but something that stabbed into him nonetheless. “I will teach you all I know, Kylo Ren, and you will go forth into a new age. Bring order to a galaxy rotten with rebellion.”

A pause. A moment of silence where the only sound heard was the dripping of water from somewhere around them as it pinged through the room.

“I will show you the true ways of the Force and even more than that. I will show you how to make it submit to you. To bend it to your will, instead of having to bend to its.” Hux’s back suddenly stiffened. “I will teach you control, not only over yourself, but over those around you.” The General’s hand dropped to his side, pulling his blaster from its holster. “People will fear your name and all that you can do.” The barrel was raised to the ginger’s head resting at his temple no matter how he tried to fight against the movement. “You, Kylo Ren, will be a reckoning and an awakening.”

Ben followed Snoke’s gaze to Hux, and watched with wide eyes as the General lifted his own blaster from its holster and raised it to his head.  It took him a moment to realize what was happening - to connect the words Snoke was saying with the actions he saw played out before him.  But once he did, he couldn’t look away.  A million thoughts flew through his mind at lightning speed as he considered all the times in his life that he would have loved to have even a fraction of this type of control.  He could have kept his father from leaving.  He could have stopped his mother from forcing his hand at the base.  He could have changed so many things.  

A cold shadow fell over his features as he realized just how badly he wanted that power.  Then, just as suddenly, he was snapped back to the reality of the moment, and he turned back to the Supreme Leader.  “Teach me,” he said, both to reaffirm his devotion to his new teacher, but also with the desperate hope that this reaction would be enough for Snoke to release his grip on Hux.  

The ginger’s breath was trembling. Was this it? Did the leader bring him here, keep him alive and allow Ben to save him from his death sentence just to carry it out himself? To make it so that the General’s life was taken by his own hand, but not his own mind? Begging filled his mind - ‘Please, no, don’t do this, I won’t fail you again, please, my fault, full responsibility, never again, never again.’

“I will teach you, my apprentice, how to destroy a man without ever touching him.” Hux’s finger twitched, tapping against the-- “And when to pull the trigger. Or to not.” The control fell away from Calic and he instantly dropped the weapon to the ground, staggering back a few paces and excusing himself - striding from the chamber, his gaze locked firmly on the ground as he left. “Rest well, Kylo Ren. For tomorrow, your training begins.”

As soon as Hux was freed from the Force control, Ben seemed to wake from a trance of his own.  What had just happened?  What had he done?  He bowed low before Snoke and turned to leave the chamber, hurrying after Hux.  Once he had exited the throne room, the imposing doors slammed closed with a resounding crash, and Ben cried out after his lover.  

“Calic!  Wait!  Stop!” he shouted, terror suddenly seizing him.  

The General shook his head, moving still. He couldn’t stop, now. He couldn’t look back, even when that voice that sent shivers down his spine called out for him. He couldn’t. It was too close. It had always been too close. When Hux finally turned back around to face his lover, they were on the third floor and heading toward the guest rooms.

“What?” Despite the sharpness of the word, Calic’s lips trembled as he tried to hold off any emotion threatening to overflow.

Ben rushed ahead to catch up to the General, slightly out of breath, and heart pounding out of anxiety as much as exertion.  “Are you alright?” he huffed, unsure of exactly what to say.  “I wanted to make sure you were ok.  What happened back there… That was…”  But he found that he still had no words.  He took a step forward, reaching out his arms toward Calic.  

“What happened? What  _ happened _ ? What happened, Kylo is that your new master held a blaster to my head and talked about pulling the trigger. He took over me. Used my own body to do his bidding because he could. Because he had no… Because I failed and he thought it would set an example,” Hux tried to explain it away. “It’s what he does. And that’s certainly not the worst he could have done.”

“But he didn’t,” Ben pointed out.  “He didn’t make you pull the trigger.  You’re safe.”  He took another step forward, still reaching out for his lover, as if hugging him would fix everything that had just taken place.  “It’s alright, now.  Right?  Everything’s ok.”  He wasn’t quite sure whether he was saying this more to convince Hux or himself.  

Hux sighed and shook his head. To have his own being used against him. To so easily draw a weapon and point it at himself with no other option but to wait for the inevitable click…

Moving forward, Calic all but collapsed against Ben, arms wrapping around the taller man and pulling him close in a desperate need for support. Needing something to cling to, to hold and tether himself to before he just drifted away from himself and found himself among the stars with no way of getting back to the ground. “Safe was never an option, here.”

Ben ran his fingers through Hux’s hair before pulling back to look into his eyes.  “I won’t let him hurt you,” he said, and though he had no idea how he could keep such a promise, he genuinely meant it.  “But that power… Think what we could accomplish with power like that, Hux!  Think of the order we could bring to the galaxy.  We wouldn’t have to destroy worlds - we could simply control them.”  

The General’s brow furrowed as he pulled back, gazing up at Ben with a mix of disbelief and concern - disgust painting his lips. “Power? Think about what we..?” He cut off with a shake of his head. “That is not war. That is not...human. Kylo--Ben... _ You _ . That’s not power, that is sorcery and don’t think about telling me that… He held a blaster to my head.”

Ben looked down, biting his lip.  “I know,” he said, shame causing his voice to soften.  “But he didn’t pull the trigger.”  

“He held a  _ blaster _ to my  _ head _ . I don’t give a damn if he didn’t pull the bloody trigger.”

Ben shook his head.  “You’re right,” he admitted.  “It was awful.  But there was nothing I could do.  I just tried to tell him what he wanted to hear, hoping that he would let you go.  I wasn’t… I don’t know.  It was like I wasn’t completely there.”  He sighed heavily, feeling confused and frustrated.  

“You  _ tried _ ? You stood there and watched!” Hux fell silent as a little droid scurried past them, beeping apologetically. Jade eyes glanced to the robot and then back to the taller man. “Maker, you were…” Calic turned away, letting his voice fall away as he started walking toward the guest hall once more, not knowing what else to say.

“Don’t just walk away,” Ben said, but when Hux made no sign of halting, he shouted, “Stop!”  He threw one hand forward, without really thinking about the consequences of his actions, staring dumbly as Hux was frozen mid-stride.  He rushed forward, immediately dropping the Force hold on the General and hurrying to step in front of him.  

“I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to… I’m sorry,” he said, desperate to somehow fix the situation.  

Calic watched Ben with an odd mix of emotion in his eyes - almost childish in how the look of betrayal flashed in them. “You say you won’t let him hurt me. You say that you’re going to protect me. And then you do  _ that _ to me.”

It was low and the General knew it. He knew that the taller man didn’t have full control over himself. He knew that there were times that he acted without planning or just threw up his hands in hopes to fix something that wasn’t cracked until he interfered. Hux’s gaze dropped to the floor as he tried to find the words that he wanted to say - tried to piece together his frantic thoughts into anything close to actual ideas. “I…” Nothing came after that.

“No,” Ben said, though he wasn’t sure what he was denying.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to do that.  I just...I couldn’t stand to watch you walk away.”  He lifted his hands once more, but this time, he reached out to gently cradle Hux’s face between them.  His own eyes were glistening with fresh tears as he spoke again.  “Calic...I swear, I would never hurt you.  I can’t lose you.  I can’t.  I just…”  

Ben shook his head, pinching his eyes shut and sending tears streaking down his cheeks.  When he opened them again to meet Calic’s gaze, there was pure desperation swimming in them - pleading for Hux to understand.  “I love you,” he said, voice cracking.  

The General wanted to respond. Wanted to say anything at all, but before he could, a lump had formed in his throat that left him shaking his head as he stepped closer to Ben, lithe arms wrapping tightly around the other man once more - holding and constricting until there was no space between the two of them.

There, in the corner of a crumbling temple, in a hall that hadn’t been used by students and teachers and visitors in years upon years - in the wasteland of a mad king with a cracked throne and lost crown, Hux finally let his emotions break him. He stifled his cries into his lover’s neck, unwilling to let the taller man go, now that they were there. He was angry, he was terrified, he was so filled with trepidation and concern for his lover. He was overwhelmed by everything. “I love you,” he sniffled out. “I love you.”

Ben instinctively wrapped himself around the other man as much as he possibly could, long arms pulling him tightly against his chest, fingers tangling in his hair and gripping the fabric of his uniform.  The sudden release of emotion from the normally steely General broke his heart, and he had to stifle a sob of his own.  

“Maker…” he choked, pulling back just enough to look into Hux’s face.  Then he was kissing him, without even consciously choosing to do so.  His strong hands held the ginger as he whimpered against his mouth.  Everything else faded away - the Supreme Leader, the blaster incident, the temple in which they stood - all of it was eclipsed by the overwhelming need he felt in that moment to comfort and connect - to be so close that there was no space between them.  [I love you.] he projected, again and again.  

Hux answered each projection with one of his own, matching the declarations and moving his hands around to ball in the front of Ben’s shirt. Wrinkles were left in his wake, the fabric protesting such treatment as the slighter man sought out every scrap of support that he could draw from his lover. Finally breaking their kiss once the need to breathe became too much, the ginger cracked open watery eyes, staring up at his dark-haired counterpart with a silent plea. ‘Don’t leave,’ his eyes said. ‘Stay close, don’t let go.’

“I’ll never leave you,” Ben answered, not needing to hear the words to understand the plea behind those eyes.  “I need… I want…” He shook his head, willing his lover to understand, even if he couldn’t find the words to spell it out.  “Where are we staying?” he asked, suddenly feeling exposed, and longing for the privacy of a closed door, and a place where they could be close.  

Calic led them away instantly, pulling his lover by the hand down the hall and to a far room off by itself. He was supposed to sleep in the room just across the hall - supposed to keep up image and reputation, but it was far too late for that, anyway. With a quick scan of his handprint, the old doors rumbled open, dragging across the ground with a low groan. Before they were fully open, Hux was pulling them inside, never straying too far away from the other male. He turned to Ben suddenly, pulling him back into a desperate kiss. “Thank you… Please…”

Ben immediately melted into the kiss, groaning softly against his lips.  He was only vaguely aware of the heavy doors closing behind them as his hands roamed the back of Calic’s uniform and finally slipped between their bodies to begin unbuttoning his top, from the collar down.  His hands slid beneath the fabric as soon as they were able, thumbs and fingers running over the smooth skin and urging the material over his shoulders.  The soft, cool skin beneath his fingers made Ben shiver with need, and he pulled back from the kiss, panting softly, to allow Hux the opportunity to remove his shirt as well.  

The drop of fabric against the floor normally would have snapped Hux into action making sure that his clothes were properly cared for - pausing them mid motion to fold or hang. Tonight, the noise only spurred him into stepping forward to push up the hem of Ben’s shirt, hands dragging along a muscular torso until he could slip it off overtop his lover’s head and let it slump to the ground in a song that only discarded clothes and a promise of more to come could sing. “W-Who are you? Tell me who you are. Kylo? Ben? Tell me what to call you because I need this,” Calic murmured, his voice broken and bent. “Please. Who are you?”

“I’m…” he struggled to clear his mind enough to form a rational answer.  Who was he?  He didn’t even know anymore.  “I’m…”  His hands glided over Calic’s smooth skin, grasping needily and tangling in his hair.  “I’m yours.  Only yours.”  His mouth was at Hux’s neck, sucking and nipping as his hands drifted downward to the General’s waistband, fumbling with the button there.  “I want you to call me Ben,” he finally said, murmuring against the ginger’s skin.  “I want you to keep me...I want you to be the only one who remembers where I came from.  Who I was.”  

Ben worked Hux’s pants open and hooked his fingers inside the waistband, pushing them down over his hips before greedily claiming the General’s mouth with his own.  [Maker, I love you] he projected.  [I am yours, completely.  Never let me go.]

The ginger shivered as the cold air hit his skin, sending goosebumps across it as pale fingers worked at the taller man’s belt, pulling it apart and letting it hang from the loops on Ben’s pants. Calic welcomed the tongue into his mouth, letting his lover claim what was stolen - chasing out all of the control that had come over the ginger and reminding him that he had someone to fight for. Shoving down the dark trousers as best he could, the General broke away from the kiss to slowly fall to his knees before his lover, jade eyes gazing upward as he placed kisses across the man’s stomach.

[I love you, too,] he projected back. [I will never forget where you came from. What you’ve done for me. I’ll never let go until my last breath.]

Ben gazed down at his lover, shivering and moaning softly as the ginger kissed his stomach. “Maker…” he whispered, reaching out to let his fingers tangle in the red hair as his eyes slipped closed. “Please…” he groaned, longing to be rid of the fabric that separated his pelvis from his lover’s mouth. “I need you.”  His hips canted forward slightly in a silent plea to be unburdened.  

A smirk appeared on pink lips as the General kissed over his lover’s clothed arousal, fingers slowly reaching up to pull his boxers downward, gently dragging them over Ben’s legs and letting them pool on the floor. He hummed, mouthing up the side of the Force user’s erection before he moved to lightly nuzzle against Ben’s leg. A stripe was licked up the length before Hux slowly, carefully took it into his mouth and bobbed his head a few times before moving away, nuzzling against the other leg and then going back to his motions once more.

[I want you. Will you have me?]

[Maker, yes...please…]  Ben’s hands balled into fists in Calic’s hair before loosening again. His body felt hot and shaky, like his knees might give out at any moment. He opened his eyes to look down at his lover, kneeling in front of him, and he let out a shuddering breath. 

“Need you. Now. Please…” he stammered, glancing around them at the room they had entered, looking for a bed, but fully prepared to drop to the floor if need be. He had never wanted anything in his life as badly as he wanted Hux in that moment. 

In the dim lighting, his eyes finally came to rest on a bed, tucked up against the wall. It was small - clearly not meant for two people to occupy at once, but he didn't care. He didn't plan on occupying any more space than was absolutely necessary, anyway - wanted to merge into one with his lover. He reached down to hook a finger under Hux’s chin, lifting his face. “Come...I want to look into your eyes as I make love to you,” he said softly. 

The General nodded in return, taking the hand under his chin and letting himself be pulled up into a stand. A moment later, the ginger pressed their lips together - the kiss was deep, but slow. Filled with the want for more and the need to be close as their tongues hugged one another and their lips caressed. It was something that was so full of fire, but it didn’t burn. The walk across the room was hindered by their refusal to part from one another for long - kisses blinding them and tight holds restricting them as they stumbled with one another.

Calic chuckled as he was suddenly swept off his feet and gently laid down upon the cot-like bed. It wasn’t the most comfortable of beds, but it certainly beat a prison floor or the bench of a shuttle. “How do you want me, Ben? Like this?”

Ben crawled over his lover, gazing down at him hungrily.  “Force, Hux, I don’t care.  I just want  _ you _ , in any position, any place, any time.  You make me feel things I never thought possible.  You make me…”  He let his words trail off as he leaned down to capture the ginger’s lips in a searing kiss, lowering his hips to rub lightly against Hux’s and moaning softly into his mouth.  He rolled, pulling the General with him, until Hux was above him.  “No.  I want you like this,” he said, smiling up at his lover.  I want you to take me this time.  I want you to take control.  Please.”  He ran his hands down Hux’s chest, letting his fingers rake the skin just hard enough to leave pale red streaks in their wake.  “I want you to claim me.  Make me yours.”  Ben spread his legs, giving himself up to the other man, offering his body and soul to the fiery General who had already claimed his heart.  

In an instant, the ginger had grabbed his lover’s wrists and pinned them to the bed on either side of the Force user’s head. Hux lowered himself bit by bit until his lips were just hovering over the other man’s, jade eyes gleaming - a tiger hovering over his trapped panther. A blink and the shadows building in that gaze vanished. “Trust me completely. I will make you mine, but on my conditions. Keep your hands right here. Don’t move them. Give me full control of you. Let me show you how thoroughly wrapped up in you I am.” The General hummed, emotion still clashing in his stare - a remnant of everything that had happened that day. A memory of the gun against his head and his own finger on the trigger. Of how he had no control whether he pulled it or not. “Just...let me control  _ this _ …”

Ben nodded up at his lover.  He did not fight the way his wrists were pressed against the bed, nor anything else Hux said or did.  “I do trust you.  Completely.  And I give myself to you without reservation,” he answered, licking his lips in anticipation.  “Have me in any way that you like.  My body is yours for the taking.”  A chill ran down his spine as he said the words.  It was surely his imagination, but he could have sworn he heard laughter ringing in his ears.  Pushing the thought aside, he gazed up at the man above him.  “Please…” 

The nod that came in return to the Force user’s words was slow, purposeful. Calic tilted his head, kissing his way down the man’s neck to his shoulder. “Keep your hands there,” he ordered again, stepping away from the bed just long enough to grab the bottle of lotion from his bag.  “Good, just like that, Ben,” he hummed, taking back his place in between the man’s legs before he continued his downward descent of his lover’s body. Licks and nips covered the taller male’s chest. When he finally got to Kylo’s hips, Hux uncapped the lotion, pouring some onto his finger as he mouthed up the side of his lover’s length.  A fingertip rubbed over Ben’s entrance before slowly slipping inside - thrusting in and out to help him relax at the same time that Calic took the head of his lover’s arousal into his mouth.

Ben wanted to lift his head - wanted to reach down and tangle his fingers in his lover’s hair, but he knew his instructions, so he stayed still, with his hands balling into fists on either side of his head as Calic’s lips left a tingling trail down his length.  The Force user let out a low groan, eyelids fluttering as his muscles tensed, and when he felt Calic’s finger enter him, he gasped quietly, lifting his hips slightly off the mattress and lowering them again.  He spread his legs farther in a desperate request for more.  “Oh, Maker…” he said in a breathy voice, once more wanting to lift his hands to grip Calic’s hair when he felt Hux’s lips around his tip.  He gripped the bed clothes instead, breathing hard as he forced his body to remain under the control of his lover.  He had never been very good at self-discipline, but he would have to learn it if he was to be the apprentice of Leader Snoke.  

“So...good…” he whispered, trying - largely unsuccessfully - to keep his hips from moving.  

Hux pulled back with a little wet sound, adding a second finger as he moved to make a little biting mark on the taller man's hip. Moving back to his bobbing motions a few seconds later, the ginger's fingers pumped, a third one slipping in as well, massaging and seeking out that spot that would make pleasure dance over his lover's vision. 

Ben stifled a moan as he gripped the sheets until his fingernails had torn tiny holes in the fabric, arching his back and flexing his hips.  When Hux’s fingers found that certain spot, it sent a blinding heat over his entire body.  It felt like an electric current shooting through him, sending sparks flaring behind his eyelids.  

Hux moved up to breathe, lowering himself once more and relaxing his muscles as he deep throated Ben for a few seconds before raising up slowly and carefully.

"How do you feel? Good?"

“Oh, Maker!” Kylo cried out, involuntarily wrapping his legs around his lover’s shoulders.  “Yes...good..no...it feels...incredible...Please, Calic...I want you…” 

He writhed in desperate pleasure, torn between the desire for his lover to continue the attention he was giving to Ben at the moment, and the even greater need to be connected in an even more intimate way.  Slowly, he released the General from the grip of his legs, spreading them wide for the other man, and planting his feet firmly in the mattress on either side of Hux’s body.  “Please…” he whimpered.  

The smirk that pulled on the ginger’s lips was undeniable. He pulled away slowly, kissing and sucking a little mark into Ben’s inner thigh as he straightened once more. More lotion was rubbed over his length a moment before he lined himself up with the taller man’s entrance, guiding himself with a hand as he pushed inside until he felt confident enough to place it beside his lover’s head. His free hand braced the underside of Ben’s leg, guiding it to wrap around his slender hips and open the body beneath him up even more to his touch.

Hux’s thrusts were shallow at first, letting Ben  get used to the sensation before he lengthened his motions and put more power behind the snap of his hips. “Maker, Force. So tight,” Calic gasped. “H-How does that feel? A-Are you okay?”

Kylo sucked in a sharp breath, consciously forcing himself not to clench around his lover.  “Yes.  Force, I’m-- D-don’t stop!  Calic, don’t stop!”  He bit his lip and opened his eyes, gazing up at the man hovering over him.  He lifted a hand to trace a line down Hux’s chest, fingers nimbly grazing one nipple before moving over the sleekly muscled stomach and finally gripping his waist.  As his body adjusted to the new sensations, he relaxed, opening himself up completely to the other man and wrapping his legs loosely around the General’s hips.  His neck arched, throwing his head back into the pillow as he tilted his hips in effort to gain friction in just the right spot.  “Maker-- There!  Harder…” he groaned, as his fingers left red marks on Hux’s pale skin where he gripped him.  

The ginger hissed, taking Ren’s wrists and pinning them to the bed with his hands, snapping his hips quicker as he leaned down to cover the Force user’s mouth with his own. He whimpered, the frictions of their bodies sending sparks dancing behind his eyes. Transferring Kylo’s wrists into one hand - and knowing that the taller man could easily break his hold if he wanted to - the General reached down between their bodies to slip long fingers around his lover’s length, stroking it softly at first before gripping it firmly and timing the motion of his hand to his thrusts. He could feel the way his body tensed and released, could feel every quiver of the other man’s body.

In control. Holding it in his hands and taking it from Ren as he gave it so freely.

The kiss broke with a little groan as Calic sped up his thrusts, smirking down at Kylo and whispering to him. “Force, look at you.” The statement hung between them, fondness wrapping around it, regardless of how clipped it came out. “Maker, so good.” Thrusts growing rougher, the ginger finally let go of the other man’s hands, instead moving his hand into his lover’s hair, feeling the silky strands as they slipped between his long fingers.

Kylo groaned, giving up all control to his lover as he allowed his wrists to be pinned above his head.  He gazed up at Hux, lips parted in a panting breath, forming a soft smile in return, his eyes falling closed as he felt the General’s fingers in his hair.  Each thrust sent shockwaves coursing through his body, and his legs tensed in an involuntary need to pull his lover closer, deeper, harder.  “Oh, Maker…” he breathed, lifting his hands to rest on Hux’s shoulders once they were freed.  “I’m close!  Please!” 

Responding only with a soft grunt, the ginger slammed into the taller man - lightly pulling his hair from time to time when the cot moved beneath them, offering kisses as apologies as he placed them along the underside of Ren’s jaw. “M-Me, too,” Hux gasped, biting the inside of his cheek as he tried to hold himself back, wanting to see his lover come undone before he released as well. Angling his hips to hit Kylo’s prostate again and again, the General whimpered, jade eyes locking with darkening brown. “Y-You’re so--ah!--beautiful. Maker. Come on. Just let go.”

Kylo squeezed his eyes closed, gritting his teeth.  Every muscle in his body felt taut, ready to snap if given just the right amount of resistance.  The pressure in his core continued to build to a nearly unbearable level and he felt tears threatening to spill free as he gasped.  “Calic!” he cried out, back arching and head thrown back in the pillow as he found his release, spurting streams of white over his belly.

The ginger followed a moment later, pressing into the taller man as deeply as he could before hitting his climax like a brick wall - crying out in pleasure as he emptied himself into Kylo. Calic leaned down, waiting a few moments before he pulled out and laid down beside his lover, kissing his way across a broad shoulder and a defined collarbone before stealing a kiss off Ren’s lips. “F-Force,” he laughed softly. “That was incredible.”

It took several moments for Kylo to catch his breath enough to form an answer as he panted.  A peaceful smile curled on his lips and he rolled onto his side to face his lover.  “Yes...it was,” he finally agreed, softly laughing at his own breathlessness.  “Maker.  This is what I’ve been missing my whole life?  I can’t believe I ever considered becoming a Jedi.”  He gave another soft chuckle and leaned in to kiss his lover again.  “I love you,” he whispered against Hux’s lips. 

Jade eyes held the golden gaze of the Force user, taking him in for a long moment before the ginger finally replied. "I love you, too," he hummed, pressing his back against the concrete wall in an attempt to cool himself down once more. Hux was exhausted - mind picked and used against him, control lost and gained, a new chapter and the end of an era. He knew not what Snoke had planned for Kylo, but he knew that it wasn't going to be easy and the man with whom he had come would not be the same one who left. That much was certain.

“Credit for your thoughts?”  Ben-now-Kylo studied his lover, who seemed lost in thought.  He ran his fingers lightly down the ginger’s side, dipping at his waist and gliding down over his hip.  “You’re not still upset, are you?  I mean, I know…”  He shook his head, brow furrowed in frustration.  “I love you.  I would never hurt you.  You know that, right?  And I would never let anyone else hurt you, either.”  

Hux sighed, turning his gaze away before letting it fall once more upon the taller man. “I know. Or, rather, I know that you say that now, and I know that you mean that now. But I’ve seen what becomes of men that Snoke singles out. I’ve seen people change - become completely twisted from what they once were. I haven’t the faintest idea about what he’ll have you do or how long you’ll be training, but I know that Ben Solo will not survive this.”

“But that’s good, isn’t it?” His expression fell slightly.  “I mean... I thought this was what you wanted - for me to become  _ more _ than Ben Solo?”  He lifted a hand to run his fingertips over Calic’s cheekbone.  “Nothing is going to change the way I feel about you.  I promise.”  He leaned in and pressed a kiss to the General’s lips before resting his head back onto the pillow, his eyes heavy from the rush of chemicals flooding his system.  Tomorrow would be the beginning of the end of Ben Solo, and the beginning of the birth of Kylo Ren.

* * *

Six months.

For six months, the ginger was returned to his post aboard the Finalizer.  He oversaw the war before them. The Resistance had been quiet - and if that wasn’t annoying enough, they were also springing a few sneak attacks at distant First Order bases, raiding everything in hopes to find helpful information about Starkiller. And, Maker, if Hux knew where their base was, he would have wiped them out of all history books.

Then, one day, he got the summons to return to Snoke, to take back the man who he had left to his training. The General didn’t waste a breath, not wanting to get on the Supreme Leader’s bad side as he loaded up a small shuttle and took off, arriving at the assigned location a day later, landing and casting his gaze around the crumbling kingdom. He didn’t see anything - no movement, no wind. Everything was still.

He hated it.

A door, dwarfed in comparison to the astronomical size of the structure that had once been an architectural wonder, opened silently and Kylo Ren emerged from the gloom, squinting against the light of the outdoors.  He had not been outside the confines of the Supreme Leader’s fortress in the entire 6 months of his training, and even the thick black mask that covered his face was not enough to shield his eyes from the overwhelming brightness of the suns.  He glanced around him until his gaze landed on General Hux, and he immediately set off in that direction, his expression unreadable behind the black and chrome veneer he wore. 

The ginger swallowed, not entirely sure what to expect from the man now that he was released by the Supreme Leader. It had been decided, apparently without any input from Hux, that the now-knight would join him aboard the Finalizer. Part of the First Order, and yet not. “Master of the Knights of Ren,” the General hummed as Kylo approached him, his voice almost taunting at the title. And perhaps there was something more sinister than just a simple tease in the way he said it.

“Lord Ren, I suppose it is, now. Are you ready to depart?”

He nodded curtly in reply to the question, but when he spoke, his voice had changed.  It was deeper - somehow more ominous than before - and cold.  

  
“General Hux, I presume?  It is an honor to finally meet you, General.”


	11. It Ends Tonight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please be warned: This chapter contains explicit content that may be upsetting to some. (It was upsetting for me to write, as well.) If rough sex is a trigger for you, please consider skipping.

Kylo regarded the General appraisingly.  Something stirred in the deepest recesses of his mind - a memory, or a whisper of a memory - but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.  He knew who this man was.  Snoke had informed him that it would be General Hux who was coming to retrieve him.  The name had sounded familiar, but beyond that, his mind was a complete blank.  Now that he was staring at the man, himself, he was once again bombarded with the conviction that he _should_ remember him.  No matter how hard he tried, he was unable to pull up any concrete memory.  

Irritated - mostly with himself - Ren nodded curtly, and started walking toward the shuttle without another word.  

The ginger hesitated, glancing over his shoulder as the man passed him.  Kylo Ren was… Cold. Statuesque, but not in the way that Ben Solo had been. No, Solo had been like a golden idol - something to marvel. Something that drew people to it from miles around as tribute and sacrifice was put before its feet in hope that he would grant them attention and favor. Ben Solo captivated. Kylo Ren… Kylo reminded Hux of the statues found in crumbling ruins. Looming. Opposing. A thing that lores were based off of as children were warned not to go out at night. He was a shadow - one that grew in the odd hours of the night and always remained at the corner of everyone’s eyes during the day. Always just out of the range of vision and gone whenever one tried to look at him. Kylo Ren repelled, dispelled, destroyed.

The General took a breath before he turned to stride onto the shuttle, surprised to see that the other man had not taken up the pilot’s seat, but instead kept to the main cabin of the ship, choosing a seat as far away from the cockpit as he could get. Calic pressed on, moving to close the blast doors and pull them off the ground.

“It will take just over a day to return to the Finalizer,” Hux stated, not entirely sure how he was supposed to address his… Once-lover? Lover? Estranged partner who had yet to really look at him without the cover of a mask?

“Very well,” Ren replied, his voice twisted and synthesized through the modulator in his helmet.  He was confused and uneasy, sensing the emotions wafting off the General.  Instead of making his circumstances clearer, however, the feelings he detected only served to confuse his further.  What possible reason could Hux have for such depth of emotion?  Kylo was aware that the two of them had known each other previously, but for his part, he felt no overwhelming sentiment at the sight of the fiery-haired General.  

The knight sat, rigid, at the rear of the cabin, elbows resting on his thighs and hands folded in front of him, his mask remaining firmly in place.  Over the past several months, he had removed his helmet only to sleep, replacing it immediately after washing each morning.  The Supreme Leader had assured him that this piece of armor was crucial to his identity as a Dark Lord of the Force - a distinguishing characteristic which would strike fear into the hearts of his enemies, and shroud him in an aura of mysterious foreboding - a physical demonstration of his break with the boy, Ben Solo, and embracing his present identity as Kylo Ren.  

Once they had entered hyperspace, the Knight addressed his brooding companion. “Something is bothering you, General.  You needn’t try to hide it from me.”  He spoke the words as a statement rather than a question, but the inquiry was implied.  Upon receiving no answer, he continued, “If you and I are to have a healthy working relationship, we’d might as well be honest with each other from the onset.  Don’t you agree, General Hux?  What is bothering you?”

You.  
  
That was the only response that the ginger could possibly give. The knight was bothering him. The man who had come into his life, torn open his mind and shaken everything up until they had fallen together in the aftershocks. Kylo Ren was his greatest concern at the moment. Slowly, Hux stood from the controls and turned to face the knight, a look of calculated indifference on his face.  
  
"Just getting things in order, Lord Ren," he answered instead. "What..? Do you remember..? How was your training? Is it complete?”

Kylo tilted his head to one side, his vacant expression concealed behind the mask he wore.  “Do I remember...my training?” he echoed, unclear exactly what Hux was trying to ask him.  “It is not complete.  The Supreme Leader has deemed that I serve on the Finalizer for some time before the next phase of my training is to be undergone.”  

The Knight studied his companion, still trying to piece together the puzzle that he seemed to be.  There was something - a vague tickling in the back of his mind, like trying to recall a dream after you have been fully awake for some time.  Still, he did not wish to appear foolish in front of the General, so he decided not to press the issue.  Instead, he shrugged and continued, “I am to take joint command alongside you for the time being.”  

That got the ginger’s attention, his focus spinning to hone in only on the taller man. “What?” Hux’s voice was low, jade eyes narrowing as he whispered the word. Hux had dedicated his entire life to the First Order and the military - rising through the ranks quicker than anyone could imagine. But it had been from his merit and skill that he had risen up to the rank of General. He had not just been handed the title after six months of isolation with Snoke. “What do you mean that you’ll be _commanding_ with me?”

The way that the redhead’s lips curled into a scowl showed exactly what he had thought about that idea. His life, his aspirations, all the work he had done to become the youngest General known to the First Order, and that same level of recognition was to be handed to a man whose greatest military experience was playing cops and robbers with his rebel mother and uncle. Fire flickered to life in the jade gaze of the slighter man, anger boiling inside him all at once. This was a direct affront to him as a leader. It was a showing of just how worthless Hux was in Snoke’s eyes, despite Starkiller Base, and his strategic brilliance. Despite his technological genius and dedication to the Order.

It was proof that he was but a stepping stone, and his greatest competition sat before him - a lover who acted like he had never met Hux before that day.

The entire day was a slap in the face and a stab to his heart.

Calic retreated back to the cockpit without another word, taking back his seat and staring blankly at the controls.

“I meant no offense, General,” Kylo said, sensing that he must have said or done something wrong, to be given such a cold response.  Again, he wondered what had been the nature of their relationship before his isolation. Perhaps they had always been enemies. Or perhaps… no. He could not contemplate other explanations. Whatever had passed between them before was just that: the past. The only thing that mattered now what the work - the task of proving his worth to the Supreme Leader and doing his part to gain victory for the First Order.

“Do you wish for me to copilot?” he asked, stepping up to the cockpit and flopping down in the copilot’s seat.

“I wish for you to take that ridiculous thing off your head,” Hux responded almost instantly. “If you plan to fly beside me, I’d rather that you be able to actually see what you’re doing.”

The General kept his voice clipped, an eyebrow twitching slightly as he kept them on course, despite autopilot still being activated. He gave a little huff - though it came out more as a sharp exhalation before his attention snapped back to what he was doing and who he was with. This man - this stranger - was not who he had once known. He’d been reconditioned and remolded to be the weapon he was, now: a blade for Snoke to use to cut down all who stood in his way - an apparent thorn in the ginger’s side as he took partial command from him.

“State your mission, Lord Ren.”

Kylo bristled at the remark about his helmet, but he nevertheless reached up and disengaged the locking mechanism without another word, lifting the helmet off his head and setting it on the floor next to his seat.  “My mission,” he said, his voice now natural and unchanged, freed from the modifier inside his helmet, “is to co-command the Finalizer with you, as I have already stated.  I am to remain on board the vessel until such time as the Supreme Leader has further instruction for me.  I will be spending my time primarily in honing my skill with the lightsaber I have crafted, in meditation, and in training, though I will also be overseeing many of the operations on board.  

He paused, studying the man beside him.  Hux did not meet his gaze.  He was obviously distressed and uncomfortable, and for the briefest moment, Kylo had the inexplicable urge to reach out and comfort him, but he immediately squelched this desire, turning away from the General and gazing out the viewport instead, in silence.  

“So, in summarization, you are to have command over my ship and do absolutely nothing for me. Noted, Lord Ren.” A pause. “It seems that Snoke has finally found his lap dog,” the statement was bitter - more, it was underlined with hurt that Hux didn’t want to admit.

If nothing else, the General wanted to keep his pride intact, though it was slipping through his fingers with each passing second. All the time spent with Ben Solo - all the lies at the beginning offered by Snoke that turned around to actually mean something in truth. And now the man was cold and the memories were nothing but that. With a shake of his head and a sigh, the ginger moved away, stepping back into the main cabin of the shuttle in an attempt to get away from the knight once more - to distance himself in a ship that suddenly seemed much smaller than it really was.

Kylo sat alone, staring out into the darkness of space.  He felt cold and empty - far more empty than he could ever remember feeling in his life before.  But, then, he couldn’t really remember very much of his life before.  He had a few fleeting memories - images and feelings - of his life with the Resistance.  He recalled being feared and detested, abandoned by his father and disdained by his mother and uncle.  Leaving the Resistance and coming under Snoke’s instruction had been the best decision he’d ever made.  And yet… something wasn’t adding up.   _Why_ was it the best decision he’d ever made?  There were large gaps in his memory that he could not account for - people, places, and events that he could not remember at all.  General Hux was one of those people; he was sure of it.  

A sudden wave of nausea hit him like a kick to the gut, and he reached out to steady himself against the transparasteel of the viewport beside him.  Flashes of light and color danced behind his eyelids as he took deep breaths and tried to steady his heart and settle his stomach.  He couldn’t think about anything beyond willing himself not to vomit, and so he passed the rest of the voyage secluded from Hux, passing between wakefulness and slumber.  

Their landing in the Finalizer was smooth and practiced, the General knowing his ship just as well as he knew his craft. He shoved the knight’s helmet at him, giving Ren just enough time to put it on and hide his face before the ramp was lowering and the ginger was striding away toward the bridge, only partially aware of the taller man following him like the first time they walked onto the Finalizer together. A shake of his head had Calic stopping, waiting for Kylo to catch up to him before turning and leveling his gaze at his once-lover.

“Since you are suddenly unaware of anything that is important in your life, Lord Ren, allow me to show you to your quarters and highlight a few notable locations aboard the Finalizer that you may find useful.” With that, Hux turned once more, moving slower, now, that his shadow was being deliberately led around, sights pointed out as he looped them through the halls on their way to the officer quarters. “Being that we are the highest ranking people on board, there is no one around us. Your room is at the end of this hall, the farthest on the left. Consequently, mine is down the hall adjacent, last door on the right.”

Having replaced his helmet, the glare with which Kylo regarded his guide went unnoticed.  He followed after the General, observing the route taken with a sort of sense of deja vu.  He knew he had been here, before, but the memories were unclear.  Regardless, he was genuinely thankful for the tour, as he did not wish to look as foolish as he felt.  

When they reached the corridor housing the officers’ private quarters, Kylo turned to Hux and removed his helmet once more.  He wanted to talk to the General - to find out what he had done to make the man so angry - but his pride would not allow it.  Instead, he simply stared at Hux for a long moment, searching the inward-most recesses of his own clouded mind for some clue.  But as soon as he began trying to remember, he was hit with another wave of nausea, and he turned abruptly aside, taking long strides to his quarters, entering and letting the door close behind him without a parting word or glance.  He reached the refresher just in time to cling to the toilet as he emptied his stomach into it.

In the hall, Hux stood still, unsure exactly what he was supposed to do.

He hated himself. Hated that, even now as he was left alone by a man who either didn’t remember to care or simply didn’t anymore, he still wanted to follow Ren. Hated that he could feel his heart breaking and his hope of having his lover back just shattering on the floor around him like glass.

Calic Hux hated that he was human.

Not waiting to see if the knight would return, the ginger stepped away, not bothering going to his own room on his way to the bridge - more than ready to take up his post and throw himself back into his work. He had not needed Ben Solo before, the General would not lower himself to needing Kylo Ren, now. It took a blink for him to fall into persona - back straightening and eyes flashing with lightning as reports were spoken to him from all around, processing the information before calculating their next move.

Days passed.  Then weeks, and though Kylo Ren became more confident in his role and position aboard the Finalizer, his memories of the previous events, or his relation to General Hux did not return.  Moreover, every time he tried to remember, he was struck with that same violent nausea, and so eventually gave up on trying to remember at all.  Whatever had passed between them, it must have been horrible.  Why else would he be so sickened by the mere hint of remembrance?  

Even so, General Hux was never far from his thoughts.  Hux continued to be antagonistic toward Ren, and they constantly clashed, argued, and challenged one another, often in front of several of the other crew members.  Occasionally their fights became violent, and generally ended with someone being carried away on a stretcher.  Despite their differences, Kylo felt a pull to the ginger that he could not explain.  He found himself staring at the man from behind his mask, when no one could tell what direction he was looking.  Even in sleep, Hux was not far from his thoughts.  Many nights, Kylo woke breathless and sweating after dreaming of the General, his body longing for something that his mind could not fathom.  

The knight had just wakened from such a dream, glancing at his bedside clock to see that it was 3:00 AM.  Images from the dream flashed through his mind in screaming color, but soon enough, he felt his stomach beginning to turn again.  In a fit of frustrated rage, he threw off the covers and got out of bed, trudging to the refresher and staring at his reflection in the mirror with such intensity that a spider web of fractures appeared in the glass.  Pinching his eyes closed, Kylo let out a guttural scream, hands clenched into fists that pummeled his own head.  Realizing that there was no use trying to go back to sleep, nor would he be able to access his repressed memories, Kylo grabbed his gym bag and strode out the door, not even bothering to don his robes or his helmet.  He needed to release this restless energy, and the only way he knew to do that was a grueling workout.  

The doors to the gym slamming open startled the sole figure already in there - jade eyes turning away from the readings on the face of the treadmill as General Hux turned to see who would be up at such an hour. His gaze dropped instantly, upon realizing who would be joining him in the training area, his heart stuttering in his chest. Days and weeks into their new partnership, the ginger had finally decided that he would move forward - progress as though nothing was amiss.

It was obviously what Leader Snoke wanted - for him to either push forward and continue his work or crumble in the wake of heartbreak. And Calic was not a man who was willing to let another use him so thoroughly and toss him away to watch him shatter.

Still, the General had gone out of his way to keep distance between his old lover and himself - putting up walls and keeping the knight at arm’s length for his own sanity, throwing himself so far into his work that the only time he had left for physical activity were the early hours of the morning. Besides, Hux had more or less given up sleep - driven to the point of aggravation and madness from the images of the two of them locked together in intimacy. It wasn’t worth it.

“Lord Ren,” the ginger greeted, then fell silent once more, deciding to call it quits early and give the gym over to the knight in full. Hux moved to the locker room, showering quickly and turning the water off just in time to hear a bag being dropped on a bench.

Kylo Ren stood at the door to the showers, his gaze fixed on Hux’s naked backside, but rising to meet Hux’s gaze once he had turned around.  Slowly, his eyes trailed downward, though, visually mapping every inch of the ginger’s sleek body.  It was _exactly_ the way he imagined in his dreams.  How was that possible?  Possibly they had occupied the communal showers at the same time before, but the level of detail...he must have taken a good look at the ginger to memorize every detail so fully.  He shook his head as the nausea began to rise, bile rising in his throat as it clenched.  No.  Not this time.   

He took a step forward, into the shower, as his frustrations and forbidden longings rose, bubbling to the surface, clashing against one another like oil and water.  He had a nagging feeling that this was somehow wrong - or was it somehow _right_ ?  Nothing made sense anymore, and the confusion only served to ignite his anger further. Bursts of color and flashes of light ignited behind his eyes.  He felt like he was spiraling completely out of control, falling through space, and all he wanted was to grab hold of something - of some _one_ \- and make them submit.  He needed to feel like he was in control of something.

The knight shook his head, thoughts, feelings, and urges battling in his mind as he took another step forward.  He could see something flickering in those jade eyes, now.  What was it?  Fear?  No.  What, then?  Finally reaching the other man, Kylo reached forward, placing one hand on either side of the ginger’s head, his hair dripping wet and droplets running down his face and chest.  “Turn around,” he said in a menacing growl that echoed eerily through the shower.  

Hux almost just shoved the knight away, cursing at Ren and scowling about how the man could so easily play with his emotions like he was nothing more than a ragdoll to be tossed away come the next day cycle aboard the ship. Except when jade met the dark gaze raining down upon him, there was no true emotion there. There was no intent to hurt - no desire to drag the ginger around like a dog on a leash. There was just frustration and a need for dominance and…

And nothing that had ever appeared in his eyes when he previously looked upon the General.

He should leave, Calic decided - knowing that it was the truth, no matter how hard a truth it was, because, Maker, he couldn’t stop himself from still being drawn to the dark knight. He had tried - oh, how he tried to ice himself over once more and live as the Winter Prince, again, or the fiery demon that everyone believed him to be - emotionless and strong and completely untouchable.    But as Ben Solo had discovered, the ginger was far more attainable than anyone believed. He _should_ leave, but if this was all that was left of the man he loved and the relationship between them, what was the harm in being strung along? No one would be hurt but himself.  He would be with the taller man, again, and that had to be all that mattered.

To be a leader was to know compromise.

Slowly, Hux turned around, bracing his hands against the tile wall of the shower.

Kylo, bare chested, quickly shoved down his pants.  His body had already awakened as he’d let his eyes roam over the ginger’s lithe form.  Driven by nothing beyond raw lust, and rage, a desperate need to dominate, Kylo thrust in mercilessly, not even bothering to open the other man up beforehand.  He groaned loudly, burying his face in the General’s shoulder and opening his mouth to bite the pale skin that had tantalized him.  It was as if the whole man - body, rank, and soul - had been taunting him from the moment of his return -  punishing him for some sin he had no memory of committing - not even allowing him the luxury of trying to remember what had passed between them.  He just needed to take a tiny piece of his dignity back.  

Calic screamed, voice echoing around the walls and bouncing back to them in perfect clarity as pain shoved away all other thoughts that wanted to invade the ginger’s mind. Hux pitched forward, bending at the waist in an attempt to find a way for his body to adjust, not thinking about the bite marks that were blooming upon his skin. He couldn’t do much - couldn’t shift around when the knight was pressed so tightly against him and the shower offered little room to actually move around.

This…

This was nothing like any of their previous encounters, and Hux couldn’t decide if that was a good or a bad thing, that his body would be left screaming just as loudly as his voice - his mind oddly quiet now that he had offered himself to Kylo. Now that there were death tolls ringing for him once more as he handed over the last shred of his heart to the man who obviously had none. “Fuck,” the General grit out, baring his teeth for a moment as he willed his breathing to deepen, even as he fought away the hurt in his chest and the pain in his body from the forefront of his mind - retreating away to another time in a shower stall between the two of them, when Hux was but a prisoner...

With his hands braced against the wet shower tiles, Kylo thrust into the ginger again and again.  He heard the screams echo off the walls, but he couldn’t stop himself.  Once he’d started, he was compelled to finish, though tears prickled at his eyes and rolled down his cheeks.  With a few more hard thrusts, he released, body stuttering and breath ragged.  He pulled out and took a step backward, staring dumbly at the trembling form of the man in front of him, as if he were only just becoming aware of what he had been doing moments earlier.  His body was sated, but his heart was breaking, and he didn’t even know why.  He sniffled, wiping the tears from his face.  He should say something - anything - but what was there to say?  

“I…” he began, but shook his head in frustration.  His mind was blank and his emotions were becoming increasingly numb by the second.  Giving up on words, he simply pulled up his pants, turned, and walked out of the shower.  He didn’t turn back - didn’t let the other man see the fresh, hot tears that spilled down his cheeks again as he left the locker room and went back to his quarters.  

Calic crumpled to his knees, tears drawing lines down his cheeks and hanging in his eyes like shattered pieces of glass, desperately hanging to the frame they had been broken from. He stayed there. He stayed there until his legs hurt as much as the rest of his body and he couldn’t tell what part of him hurt the most. He stayed there until his tears were dry and he had no more cries left to offer, even though he felt himself torn in two.

He stayed there until he couldn’t stay there any longer, forcing himself back to his feet with a soft sound of pain before limping to his locker and pulling out his clothes. It was all he had, the General reminded himself pitifully. Bitemarks and roughness, relentless thrusts and fingerprints bruised into his skin. That’s all he had left.

Hux refused to cry anymore, as he stepped out of the gym. He didn’t let his limp be seen by anyone and if he left his morning round an hour and a half early, well, he had certainly put in more than enough overtime for everyone to simply assume that he was locked away in his room to recover from that. No one asked questions when the notification came that he would be taking the day and would only be called upon in a state of emergency. He was their General. Only one person ever questioned him.

***

Days passed, then weeks, and Kylo Ren came no closer to uncovering his lost memories than he had the first day of his return to Finalizer.  Given the excruciating effect of any and all attempts at pulling those mind threads free, he had all but given up on even trying anymore.  Whatever had happened between the General and the Knight, it was in the past, and he had to think about the future.  All that mattered now was his training, and his allegiance to the Dark Side and to the First Order.  He went about his business on the ship, keeping space between himself and Hux as much as possible.  However, there were times when they were forced to occupy the same space, and these moments never ceased to torment him.  He tried not to think about that night in the gym shower, but how could he forget?  It had meant nothing, surely - merely an outlet for his frustration and rage, and the General had been a willing participant, he reasoned, so it hadn’t done any harm.  The most alarming thing, though, was that every time the General was in his presence, Kylo felt that pull again.  He couldn’t focus on anything but the ginger, who seemed to be constantly at odds with him, and he longed for the feeling of being inside of him - of dominating and claiming - even if it meant nothing at all.  

Each night, he returned to his quarters, irritated, frustrated, and restless, and most nights, if he slept at all, it was only after a vivid fantasy involving General Hux, and Ren finding some measure of satisfaction at his own hands.  Even his dreams were riddled with images of the two of them; there was no escape.  It had become a full-blown obsession, and it was only growing stronger as time went on.  

Hux, on the other hand, had steeled himself in fire.

With his focus forced on the war and his own superweapon, he shoved away anything that might hinder him. The tumble in the shower with his once-lover proved one thing to the General, as his body recovered from the pain and the harshness, Kylo Ren was not Ben Solo. Whatever he had hoped to rekindle was long since snuffed out into useless ashes.

Even so, Calic couldn’t keep his head on straight.

The meetings with Snoke - having to stand so close to the knight - were becoming more and more frustrating with each passing day. To feel the chill of Ren’s gaze upon him, even if the visor kept it hidden from everyone else. To know that the man was hovering around him like a fallen angel sent straight from the pits of hell to haunt him with the face of a ghost. It weighed upon the ginger, and his men were starting to notice.

Twice, he had collapsed under the exhaustion of going nearly a week without sleep, carted away by the medical staff and forced to be put on leave for a day to regain his strength before the cycle started once more.

Regardless, his thoughts were filled of images that he could not forget, slowly driving him mad. Flashes of memories of love declared and touches that were meant to please, not just to hold and prove a damn point. His heart - as broken and terribly taped together as it was - still desperately tried to flip and beat whenever Kylo was close. This wasn’t working, Hux realized one day in a clarity that nearly knocked his breath from him.

It wasn’t working.

  
Finally, there came another night when Kylo was unable to sleep at all.  No fantasy was enough.  No touch his own hands could provide was anything close to what he truly craved.  He got out of bed and stalked around his quarters.  Meditation was useless.  Even in his calmer moments, his attempts at focus all reverted back to the General.  He thought about going to the gym, but even that thought came back around the Hux.  There was no escaping him.  The ginger haunted his every moment, in every varying state of consciousness, and he was beginning to wonder whether it was intentional.  The idea gnawed at him, growing ever larger like a living parasite.  What if Hux was somehow putting these thoughts into his mind on purpose?  It was a ridiculous notion, and deep inside, the knight understood that.  But lack of sleep and his obsessive thought patterns had rendered him incapable of logic.  

He had to end this, one way or another.  

Tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note about the shower scene: I know that it was pretty brutal. I cried while writing it, and afterwards I considering reworking it so that it wouldn't feel so violent. After discussing with my partner, we decided to leave it as it was - that it was necessary to portray just how far Kylo Ren had come from the man he once was, and just how lost and broken he is at this point, brainwashed and manipulated by Snoke. I apologize for the angst, but rest assured that things will begin to get better, soon. 
> 
> Thank-you for reading! xo


	12. If I Say 'Stop'

Grabbing his outer robes and clumsily slipping them on, Kylo Ren strode out the door and down the hallway to General Hux’s door.  Over such a short distance, he considered turning back a remarkable number of times, but his resolve held firm, and taking a deep, calming breath, Kylo pressed the buzzer outside the door, and waited. 

Bleary jade eyes opened at the noise a second before the General snapped to attention. People didn’t come to visit at odd hours of the night - rather, people didn’t come to visit unless they had urgent news and drew the short stick, thus forcing them to his doorstep. Clad in sleep pants and a charcoal tanktop that left absolutely nothing to the imagination with the way it hugged his slender figure, the ginger made his way to the door, opening it without a second thought as he started to ask what had happened that needed his atten--

“Lord Ren?” Calic questioned instead, brow furrowing and body instantly straightening to its full height in an attempt to stand as tall as the knight. “What do you want?”

With a sigh of annoyance and a shake of the head, Kylo shoved his way past the General and into his quarters.  He turned quickly, letting his eyes rake over the General’s back for the split second it took for Hux to turn and face him.  

“What do I want?” he echoed.  “I think you know exactly what I want,” he growled, taking a step closer, with a myriad conflicting emotions swimming in his eyes.  Even so, he couldn’t bring himself to ask.  He wanted to simply take.  “You liked it, didn’t you?  That night in the showers.  Admit it.”  He took another step closer, invading the ginger’s personal space like he so enjoyed doing.  “Tell me you haven’t thought of it.  I can feel the conflict in you whenever we’re in the same room.  You need this just as much as I do.  Say it.”  

He had backed Hux up against the wall, leering at him with that same raw lust clouding his vision.  If he’d thought he desired the other man before, the need was overwhelming, now that they were together… when he could reach out and touch that milky skin, so close to him, now.  The way his shirt hugged his slender frame, and his pants hung just at the hips, nearly screaming to be pulled off.  It was maddening.  “Say it!” he repeated, desperate and shouting, now.  

“Stop it!” Hux finally snapped back, hands pushing against Ren’s chest and shoving him backward so the General could move away from the wall. Seething and heartbroken, he moved away. How dare the knight? How dare he toy with him like this? How dare he toss the man aside and let him regain his footing to only come back and want to shove him off kilter once more? How dare he make Calic remember all those times before? How dare he strut around like he owned the Finalizer and the General? How dare he? 

“I wanted it! I wanted it until I didn’t want it!”

“But you want me, now.  Still.  I can feel it.  You crave me, as I crave you.”  Ren was very nearly frantic - breathless, heart pounding in his chest.  To be rejected, now, would be the final straw that broke the bantha’s back.  He  _ needed _ this - though he didn’t know why - but he wanted Hux to need it, too.

Hux shook his head and turned away, pale hands rubbing over his face in an attempt to wake himself up completely and to focus his mind enough to actually have this conversation. He meant nothing to Ren - that was growing ever clearer with the bumps he received to his shoulder and the way that he was cornered like prey to the great panther that Kylo was.

‘Say no,’ his mind whispered - rational, resolute. ‘Give it up.’

‘Try one more time,’ his heart beat out - still desperate for the knight. For the man he once knew. Still hopelessly stuck.

A heavy sigh fell from the ginger. If he was nothing more than a body, a diversion, a release of frustration for the other man… 

It was better than feeling like there was nothing left between them at all.

“Okay,” Calic whispered.  Then again, louder. “Okay. Fine. You want this to be relief, then I accept. But!”  He held up a finger, stilling the motion forward that Kylo had already started. “I will not be taken like some cantina prostitute.  _ Nothing _ will happen without preparation. I don’t care who does it, but I will not just be mounted by brute force.”  He took a breath, gathering his thoughts.  “No kissing. No marks that will be visible when I wear my uniform. And if I say stop, Lord Ren, you stop.” Jade eyes hardened. “For your own sake.”

Kylo blinked, slightly taken aback by the list of rules set before him. Not that it was an unfair request. He readily admitted that their last time together had bordered on brutality, and he had regretted walking out without speaking.  Yet, list of rules or not, he was surprised that Hux would be so accommodating. What did it matter? If this was to be a game, he could play by the rules. It was only fair. 

“Fine,” he said flatly, feeling a little off kilter, now that the playing field had tipped back to a level condition. He glanced around the room curiously, and found that he had a strange feeling that he'd seen it before - a whisper of a memory - a deja vu.  He shoved off the idea as irrelevant. Very possibly, he  _ had  _ been in here before. It needn't mean anything.  They were senior officers on the same ship; it would hardly be an oddity for him to have seen the General’s personal quarters at some point.

“Where do you want to...uh…” The more Kylo considered it, the better he liked this new arrangement. Why shouldn't they both be allowed some carnal pleasure, together?  This way, the options were more plentiful, as long as the rules were followed, and if Hux was also gaining pleasure from the encounter, well.  All the more erotic. 

The knight turned his attention back to the man before him, and again he saw that flicker of some unknown emotion. His eyes meandered down the sleek body, and he felt himself growing solid in anticipation of what was to come.  “It makes no difference to me,” he continued. “Sofa, bed, floor, wall...it doesn't matter.” 

“I have a guest room, Lord Ren, we’d might as well put it to use.”

Not his master suite. He had fond memories in there, and he would loathe himself if they were tainted with whatever the night before them would hold. Instead, he swallowed around his nervousness and turned his back to the taller male, leading them across the living room and revealing the second bedroom - sparse, perhaps, but with a clean bed, a nightstand and functional lights. 

They moved into the room stiffly and solemnly, as if they were about to commence with a military planning session, rather than preparing for an intimate encounter.  If Hux hadn’t known that his mind would overanalyze every little thing that had happened, or was about to happen, he would have paused to find some sort of lubricant. Instead, pale hands reached the bottom of Calic’s nightshirt, pulling it off over his head and letting it fall beside them. A moment later his pants and boxers joined the top.

“How do you want me?” The General asked, stepping toward the bed.

Kylo watched as the ginger disrobed, his eyes growing wider with each new inch of pearlescent skin revealed.  His mind was reeling, still completely at a loss for why the sight  affected him as powerfully as it did.  Yes, General Hux was a very attractive man, but the knight couldn’t remember ever being so physically drawn to another human being in his life.  These thoughts flew through his mind in the time it took for him to slouch out of his robes, revealing his bare chest and his boxer shorts, which he quickly discarded and kicked aside to join his robes.  

Kylo glanced down at himself, almost ashamed of the way his arousal stood rigid, already throbbing with need.  He was sure the General must be inwardly laughing at his eagerness, like a schoolboy in the blossom of puberty.  The thought only served to fuel his anger, and further ignite his lust.  He took a step closer to the other man, letting his eyes trace each contour of the slender body - svelte and graceful - something for Kylo Ren to taint and twist, like everything else he touched.  Wasn’t that what his master had told him?  It was why he belonged on the Dark Side - he was fit for nothing else, but destruction.  

The question echoed through his mind - ‘How do you want me?’.  He didn’t know, or rather he didn’t care.  This was not about sentimentality or tenderness.  This was only about physical release.  Wasn’t it?  It was a hunger to be sated, for both of them, and nothing more.  “It doesn’t matter,” he finally said.  “I can make use of whatever position is comfortable for you.”  Even Kylo was struck by the clinical sound of his own words.  

The answer caused the ginger to flinch, unused to being spoken to more like an object than a living being. Still, he certainly wouldn’t mind having the choice of their position - it was tact. It was useful for him. Practical.  With pursed lips, the General stepped further away from the knight, trying desperately to appear just as indifferent to the situation as Kylo appeared to be, though he knew he probably failed.  Emotion wafted from him as he sat down on the bed, then reclined to lay on his back, long legs spread in invitation.

Jade eyes flicked to the side. It was an intimate position, yes, but, more importantly than that, it let him see everything that Kylo was doing. It kept them on an even playing field in that the ginger actually had access to his own hands, instead of just being pressed to a wall or holding himself up with them. “Care to join me, Lord Ren, or will you find your relief simply by looking?”

Perhaps now wasn’t the greatest time for Calic to taunt, but the words fell from him a moment before he could consider holding them back.

“Do you want to prepare me or should I?” He added a moment later, trying to divert attention from his jab.

The casual tone of Hux’s question took Kylo by surprise.  It was more of a tease than anything - sarcastic, but playful.  Idly, he thought that he probably  _ could _ relieve himself just by looking, but that wasn’t what he’d gone there to do, so he quickly crawled onto the bed.  

“I’ll do it,” he said with a little shrug.  It didn’t really matter, but he’d already let the ginger have the choice of position, so he felt that he ought to take control in this matter, to keep the balance of power level.  This had become their pattern - the balance of power tipping to one and then counterbalanced by the other to tip further that way, and back again.  It was like a perpetual tug of war game, where neither was the victor, but neither would surrender, either.  

“Do you have anything?  ...Lotion? Lube?”  he asked, glancing around and not seeing anything readily available.  “Or I can go dry.  It doesn’t matter.”  There was that phrase again.  He wondered whether it really was true.  His mind told him it didn’t matter, but his heart was telling him something else.  If only  he could understand what it was saying...

Indifference, once more, Hux thought with a sinking feeling.  He swallowed around the words he wanted to say, biting them back and shaking his head before reaching out to take on of Ren’s hands. A hand he knew far too well. One that he could detail exactly how it felt to have its touch bestowed upon his skin. A hand that had once held his own - not as a competitor and enemy, but as a companion and equal.

A hand that had the power to raise a man or raze one.

Bringing it to his lips, Calic sucked on Kylo’s fingers. Not enough for it to be anything close to intimate, but enough to know that the saliva he placed upon them would at least help ease the way. His tongue made little figure eights around the digits before, with a little pop, the General released the taller man’s hand. “The lotion is in the other room, but you are not going in me dry again. This will be good enough.”

Kylo tried, but failed, to stifle the shiver that ran down his spine as the General sucked on his finger.  He sucked in a breath, keeping his eyes locked on Calic’s jade gaze, and nodded his head as he drew back his hand.  As he reached down to push the first finger inside, he realized that he was unsure what to do while the preparation took place.  The General had already stated that kissing was not allowed, but simply staring into his eyes while he prepared the man seemed, somehow, nearly as intimate as a kiss.  He glanced away, clearing his throat as he moved his finger, clearly uncomfortable and anxious to get this part over with, quickly.  

Moving faster than he probably should have, he pressed in with a second finger, moving them together to loosen the muscles that squeezed them tightly.  He needed to calm down - needed to slow down and let himself enjoy this.  He lowered his head and found that he was at eye level with the ginger’s erection.  With a final glance up at Hux’s face, he licked his lips and took his arousal into his mouth, sucking as his fingers did their work.  

Not having expected this turn of events, Calic gasped, jade eyes turning downward to match the dark gaze of his once-lover as Kylo watched him - the knight more like a predator now, than he ever had been before the General had left him with Snoke.  Perhaps that turned the blame back on him, for if he could have stayed with the taller man throughout his training period, perhaps it never would have been a meeting like this that reunited them.

Regardless, Hux arched, legs parting further as the slight burn that came from the spit doing just enough, but not much more, faded away, and pleasure danced up his spine. Pale fingers shot down, finding a hold on dark waves of hair as Ren’s head moved in bobbing motions, tongue pressing to the underside of his length in a way that had the ginger’s breath stuttering. The third finger pressed into him in an almost brutal rush, clipping him slightly as it entered, but not hurting. Or, rather, not in a way that would ever have him asking for the knight to stop.  Not when his mouth was doing  _ that _ .

“I think…” Calic hummed. “That I’ve finally found a use for you and your mouth aboard my ship.” A pause. “Th-That’s enough, Lord Ren.”

Kylo couldn’t help but laugh a little as he pulled his fingers free and let Calic’s arousal fall from his mouth.  He had pleased the General; that much was obvious.  And the feeling of affirmation the knowledge gave him astonished him.  He spat in his hand and ran it once over his own length before positioning himself at Calic’s opening and pushing inside.  He groaned, eyes lolling back for a moment at the sensation of being swallowed up - surrounded by this man who had somehow taken hold of him.  It felt better than it should have, he thought, though to complain about such a thing would be ridiculous, even for him.  His eyes opened and his gaze met with that of the ginger, causing his heart to flip flop in his chest. 

It was too much. 

Kylo shook his head and pinched his eyes shut firmly.  He would not give in to sentiment.  Steeling his resolve, he thrust into the other man, hard, grunting softly.  He did not open his eyes again until he had reached his climax.  

Hux prefered that - not having to look into the eyes of the man he once knew, the gaze and intent so twisted and dark. So he followed the knight’s lead, tipping his head back until pleasure drew his body taut and then released it all at once. Trembling under Ren, the ginger cried out softly as the taller man shifted around, their bodies still locked together for the moment. Calic tried not to wince when Kylo pulled away quickly after that.

This was not intimate, nor was it supposed to be. It wouldn’t end in whispered words or soft touches. It just, simply, ended.

Shifting back and sitting up, the General ran a hand through his hair, smoothing it down and doing his best to hide the way his fingers trembled. Jade eyes flicked up to watch the knight, greedily taking in the lines of muscle and the edges that made up Kylo Ren. A smile started to turn his lips up a moment before he forced them to cease and desist. “I would offer you a shower, Lord Ren, but with your room being so close and your constant need to not care about how you look, I’m sure you’d deny it.”

Kylo couldn’t help but smile at the tease, his head still spinning from the powerful orgasm he’d just experienced.  A shower sounded...nice.  A series of images flashed through his mind - thoughts he should not be having - images of the two of them pressed together under the stream.  Not like the night in the gym showers, but in a far more intimate position - lips pressed together and hands roaming over the other’s glistening wet body, tangling in the other’s hair as the water streamed over them both.  Suddenly, he felt a wave of nausea like a kick to the gut, taking his breath away in its intensity.  He shook his head.  “I should get back.  I… I have to go.”  He quickly staggered off the bed and threw on his robes, not even bothering to put his boxers back on before rushing from the General’s quarters and back to his own room.  

The main doors to his quarters had barely closed before Hux was up, moving slowly as he picked up his clothes from the floor and made his way back to his own bedroom, stepping into the shower to rinse himself off quickly before dressing once more. He sighed, not entirely sure what to make of Ren’s constant and sudden retreats, but too tired to fret over it. Instead, he crawled back under the covers, glancing at his clock and huffing at the early hour. It would seem that he was in store for another day of sleep deprivation. But at least he’d let off steam…

As time went by, the two men fell into a sort of awkward rhythm, dancing around one another in public, butting heads and generally antagonizing one another at every turn.  But in private, they would often come together for a sort of physical release.  There was no intimacy.  If anything, their sexual encounters became more cold and clinical - a series of motions through which to proceed in order to reach a mutually beneficial outcome.  As the two men learned to trust one another, they rarely remained face to face during their activities, preferring to keep things impersonal, rather than trying to pretend that it meant anything more - a mere pantomime of something much deeper.  Sometimes they would meet in Hux’s quarters, and sometimes in Kylo’s, but they never spent the night together; they developed an understanding, and they never strayed from the preconceived plan.  It was a satisfactory, if temporary, solution.  At least for Kylo Ren, who had given up on trying to retrieve his lost memories.

Hux, on the other hand, was not so enthusiastic about their trysts. Yes, he enjoyed them, and they allowed a perfect relief from stress and frustration - especially when his main stressor  _ was _ the knight.  But every time they fell together, he searched Kylo’s eyes for some whisper of a hint of the emotion that he’d seen so strongly behind them in the beginning - some encouragement that things could be the way they were before.  But it was never there.  And no matter how many times he tried to convince himself that, this time, he would not allow himself to be hurt, each time was like ripping a bandage from a still open wound, realizing a moment too late that it would need to be replaced. 

Still, he would not end it.  Perhaps he was just a glutton for punishment, but it was the bottom line of it all:  the General would not be the one who ended anything with the knight, and that was simply the way it would always end up being.

So it continued, as the days stretched into weeks, then months, and it seemed that the First Order, as a whole, fell into a pattern of taking two steps forward and three steps back. The victory of Starkiller Base was short-lived, as the Resistance rallied and, with the help of a traitorous Stormtrooper, managed to breach their defenses and destroy the base. 

General Hux and Kylo Ren, along with a small contingency of officers, were able to make a narrow escape from the planet’s implosion, but Ren had been severely wounded, and had to be hospitalized.  He was unconscious for several days, as the medical staff monitored his treatments and progress in healing. 

The first two days, General Hux had refused to leave Kylo Ren’s bedside.  He kept hoping that the knight would awaken and they would realize that they had both been dreaming.  No one dared to question him.  And every time Kylo stirred, or a droid rolled into the hospital room, or one of the many machines made any kind of sound, he jumped expectantly.  However, with each false hope, there followed a bitter disappointment, and with each disappointment, he grew more and more disillusioned.  

On the third day, with no change in the knight’s condition, and his head swimming with his own dizzying thoughts, the General tore himself from the hospital room and returned to his own quarters, leaving instructions with the medical staff to contact him immediately once the knight awoke.   _ If _ he ever awoke.  Though in his heart, Hux knew that any hope he had clung to was in vain.  If Kylo Ren hadn’t regained his memory by now, he never was going to.  And Hux couldn’t go on this way any longer, for the sake of his own broken heart and wounded soul.  

***

After four days, Kylo Ren awoke all at once, gasping and choking on the breathing tube that had been threaded down his throat. He pulled it out, wincing as the tube came loose like a giant worm.  He ripped the IV from his arm, sucking in a breath with the sting of the rapid removal.  Monitors and devices lay scattered on the flood as he shot out of bed in a whirlwind of sudden, volatile energy. Once on his feet, though, the knight doubled over in pain and he clapped a hand to his side, where the blaster bolt had left its mark. He looked pale and weak, with a sort of madness in his eyes as he screwed up his willpower and, ignoring the pain, strode out of his private room to find someone who could answer the one question that burned in his mind like a red hot poker. He threw open the door and stepped into the hallway, sending several of the staff scurrying nervously away as he shouted, for anyone and everyone to hear. 

“Hux! Where is General Hux?!” 


	13. Never Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long time in the works, but I am so excited to share with you this, the last chapter of our story.  
> Thanks so much for reading. I hope you enjoy it!!

General Hux had tucked himself away in his own quarters, not too far away from medbay and the bridge. Not when he was needed to draw people together and unite the First Order once more, despite their loss and their defeat at Starkiller. They were still in the war. They had destroyed the Republic, no matter if the Resistance managed to get away. They were still more than capable of taking this back.

The ginger sat in the middle of his living room. Half packed boxed littered the floor around him - items that spoke of a life long gone, carefully packed away - items that Ben Solo had left behind in the short amount of time that he had been on the Finalizer before Hux had taken the knight to train with Snoke.

It was over.

Hux finally could admit that to himself, as he saw Ren lying in the snow with nothing but revenge in his eyes. It was finally over.

\---

A terrified doctor was cornered by the Master Knight, fear lighting up in his eyes as the Grim of the Galaxy stalked ever closer to him - a trembling hand pointing in the direction of where the General could be found, in answer the the one demand Kylo Ren had made upon waking from his coma. No one questioned what Kylo wanted with the ginger - none of them dared to question the man who had so easily torn people apart and left the remains for someone else to clean up.

He didn’t even bother looking for his clothes.  On his way out of the medical wing, he sent workers, both humanoid and droid, scattering this way and that.  He was a man possessed, and it was no wonder that the mere sight of him struck terror into the hearts of anyone there, especially those who knew that he had been unconscious for several days, and the trauma he had brought on himself in the events that led up to his coma.  He grabbed a robe off a rack of garments as he passed, pulling it on over his hospital gown, and hurried on.  Nothing mattered now.  

Nothing but Hux. 

With long, hurried strides, the knight made his way to the General’s private quarters, skidding to a halt just outside his door.  His heart hammered in his chest as he considered what Hux’s reaction might be upon seeing him, but he couldn’t let the fear of rejection stop him from what he needed to do.  

Without bothering to make his presence known, Kylo keyed in the code and barreled through the door, looking around at the disarray that surrounded him.  Confusion clouded his mind, until his gaze fell on the object of his obsession - General Hux, seated in the middle of the room, on the floor.  For a long moment, Ren could do nothing but stand there, staring at him, and panting to catch his breath.  

Hux’s jade eyes lifted, widening at the sudden appearance of - not just another being - but the one that had been more or less gutted by a lightsaber. The one that had taken a blaster to the side. The one that refused to die in the snow, but stayed conscious just long enough to be handed over to the medical staff.

The one that Hux was letting go of, even as his fingers refused to unclasp and release their hold.

“Lord Ren?” The General questioned, standing slowly - almost cautiously. “I was not notified that you had awoken. Or that you were discharged, but I have a feeling that you weren’t.”

Kylo blinked, standing stock still, but inwardly scrambling, frantically grasping and clutching for something to say.  He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again.  He felt like there was a dam in his chest that was about to burst wide open, flooding everything in its path - that the moment he began to let the words flow, he might not be able to stop them.  

“Ben,” he finally said, his voice wavering and his throat feeling dry and tight, like it was lined with sandpaper all of a sudden.  “Calic… I asked you… to call me Ben.”  He blinked again, sending tears trickling down his cheeks and falling heavily on the cotton fabric of the robe that hung on him.

A blank expression watched the knight - a subtle swallow that quickly led to jade eyes dropping away, glancing to one side, then another, before they fell upon the taller man once more. Hux tried to decide if he was being tricked - played with like a doll once more in the hands of a man who seemed to have no remorse for anything he ever did. With his weight shifting to one side, then back to the other, the General pursed his lips.

For once, there was no deception in Kylo’s eyes. There was no darkness that seemed to forever turn those dark eyes black.

There was... clarity.

“So…” Calic cut himself off when his voice threatened to waver - emotions that he had hidden for so long resurfacing like a tidal wave rushing toward an unsuspecting shore. “So you did...  Ben.”

In a few long strides, Kylo was standing directly in front of his once-lover.  He no longer fought the deluge of tears that streamed down his face as he gave himself up, surrendering himself for sentencing.  “I’m so sorry,” he said with a choked sob, throwing his arms around the other man and pulling him close.  He wanted to kiss him - wanted to shower him with all the love and affection that he’d withheld over the previous months, but he knew he didn’t deserve Hux’s forgiveness.  He didn’t deserve  _ anything _ , except to be thrown aside for once and for all.  One hand balled in the fabric of Calic’s shirt as the other lifted to cradle the back of his head, slipping fingers through his hair and holding him as the knight cried without shame.  

The General was stunned. After so many months of knowing the other man and seeing the metamorphosis that he had gone through as he was transformed from a Rebel who had lost his way into a great reckoning, Calic never thought that he would be standing in the position he was. Never would he have believed that there would be a day that Kylo Ren was clinging to him and crying into the side of his neck. 

Slowly, as if unsure that such an action would be the correct choice, lithe arms lifted to wrap around the knight. The moment his hands touched Ren’s back, however, Hux suddenly fell into him - and whether it was the Force pulling him tightly against the taller male or it was his own doing, the ginger never would know, but, regardless, his arms tightened and his head turned to hide away against one of Ren’s shoulders. “You’re here. Force, you’re actually here.  Ben, is this really you?”

Kylo tried to quell his tears - tried to steady his breath so that he could speak.  There was so much to say, but the moment the ginger fell into him, and Kylo could feel the walls begin to crumble, it was like he’d been struck by a bolt of lightning.  His knees buckled, and he slowly crumpled to the floor, pulling Calic with him, never loosening his grip.  

“Calic...I remember… I remember everything… Oh, Maker…”  He wasn’t able to get out much more than that.  He drew back to look into the eyes of the man who had shown him so much - who had believed in him when no one else had, and had loved him like no one else ever would.  His hands rose to cradle Hux’s face on either side as he let his eyes roam over the clear, handsome face.  He hated himself for the way he had behaved - hated everything that had happened since they had parted for his training.  There could never be enough words to adequately apologize for the things he had done - or, more appropriately, the things he had  _ not _ done the kindness and tenderness he had not shown -the words he had not spoken.  

“I love you,” he said in a strangled whisper.  “Force, I love you so much.  And I know I don’t deserve you… but…”  In a flash, he had leaned forward, capturing Calic’s lips in a fierce kiss as a whimper fell from him, and the tears he’d been crying wet both their cheeks.  [I love you...I love you…] he repeated over and over in the link that had lay silent for so long.  [I’m so sorry…]

The ginger broke - a strangled sound falling from his lips as he shook his head and whimpered, pulling away from their kiss as he fought to keep himself from tumbling over the edge and letting the tears stinging his eyes fall. “Y-You…” Pale hands lifted to cover the General’s face as the sobs he tried to hold back escaped. Of everything that he had endured in his life, this was what had finally snapped him. This trial of finding someone who reflected him so clearly, only for it to have been a false start and, soon after, have the man torn from him. Given a weapon who only wanted to dominate and prove his power, rather than a man who wanted to feel and touch.

[I love you,] he projected back softly, when his voice failed him - that silver tongue falling silent as Hux shivered. [I never stopped loving you, even when I told myself I had. I couldn’t. I  _ couldn’t _ , Kylo, because if I did, then it meant that I had to move on and I… I didn’t want to. Maker, I  _ tried _ .]

“I love you,” came the broken whisper from Hux’s lips.

Kylo pulled back to look fully in his lover’s eyes, running his fingers through the General’s hair and gently stroking his face, as if trying to prove to himself that the man before him was truly real - a living, solid being, right there in front of him.  

“All that time...deep down, I think a part of me never forgot.  I was drawn to you -  _ craved  _  you - maddeningly so, but I didn’t know why.  And every time I tried to remember, I was struck with nausea so severe, I…”  He shook his head sadly.  “That’s why I rushed off so many times, after...I was always reaching, searching for the reality - for the memories that would tell me what had happened… Oh, Maker…”  He pressed their lips together again, whining into Calic’s mouth as he savored the taste of him.  In all that time that he had lost his memories, they had not kissed.  It had been part of the guidelines Hux had set down from the start, and as their lips moved together, now, he felt his whole body warm.  

The General’s heart felt like it was breaking all over again as he watched the other man. All those nights that he had refused to acknowledge the tears mixing in the water from the showerhead. All the nights the felt cast aside. All the times he told himself that it was all a lie. It all came back to one, simple thing - Hux couldn’t.

He couldn’t move on and he couldn’t forget, and perhaps that was what had troubled him the most, for he should have done many things in the time that the knight seemed so opposed to just leaving him alone. And, now, after all of that... After everything that had been weighing on his shoulders finally crumbled away - when he decided that it was time to start over completely and pack away anything that used to belong to a man that had long since  _ vanished - Then,  _  he returned. Memories blocked, suddenly free to flood him all at once.

Blocked… Locked away, for what other explanation could there have been?

[I want to make love to you...properly.] Kylo projected through their mental link, unwilling to break the kiss once it had begun.   [I want to give you all of myself, again - to lavish you with all the tenderness and the love that I held back all that time.]  When it became necessary for him to take a breath, Kylo broke their kiss, resting his forehead against Calic’s and gazing deeply into his eyes.  “I love you so much,” he whispered. 

“Gently,” Calic whispered. “Be gentle with me, Kyl--Ben. I love you, I do. But… It’s been a long time.”

Kylo nodded, scooping Calic into his arms.  He carried him to the bedroom, careful to avoid the boxes and other items that littered the floor, all the while, whispering his love and devotion to the ginger.  Reaching the bed, he gently lay Hux down on his back and crawled over him, leaning down to kiss him tenderly, on the mouth, the cheeks, his forehead, and his neck.  He couldn’t get enough of the scent and the taste of Calic’s skin - the way it felt against his lips.  He whimpered softly, completely overcome with emotions that threatened to pour out of him like water bursting through a dam.  He leaned back on his knees and pulled the robe and hospital gown off, putting himself fully on display, as if to offer up his own body as a living sacrifice to the man from whom he had withheld so much for so long.  

“I just want to give you pleasure,” the knight whispered, leaning down again to kiss and nuzzle the ginger’s neck and shoulder.  “I am yours, completely, and forever,” he murmured.  “Tell me what you want.  Anything you need.  All this time, I’ve taken and taken from you, but now I want to give it all back.  I want to cherish you as I should have done all along.”  He reached out to clasp one of Calic’s hands in his own, lacing their fingers together.  “How could I have forgotten?” he breathed.  “How could I ever have forgotten my love for you?” 

The General’s free hand lowered, worming between their bodies until he could gently run his fingertips over the bandages that adorned the knight’s body - covering up the burn of a lightsaber and the wound from that vicious blaster. Kylo had almost died - probably would have, if Starkiller had managed to stay together any longer than it did. In but a blink of an eye, Calic almost was forced to part with the man on a much more permanent timeline than simply packing away items and handing them back to the knight. Stitches littered Ren’s face, keeping the scar closed and healing. How? How had it all gone so wrong, so fast? How had it not been predicted? Prevented?

Why did Snoke wait until the moment it was all falling apart to finish his apprentice’s training, instead of completing it all at the same time? What was the point?  Calic tried to relax - to surrender to the beautiful sensations that traveled over his skin and ran down his spine.   _ This  _ was what he’d been longing for, for so many months.  How long had it been since he and Ben had made love?  He couldn’t even remember anymore.  But now that the time had come, his mind could not rest.  Something was badly wrong, here.  Something did not make sense, and he had to figure it out. 

“Snoke knew,” Hux suddenly whispered, pushing Ren back to stare up at him.

Kylo started, leaning back and gaping at his lover.  “What?”  Of all the things he’d imagined Calic whispering in his ear, mention of the Supreme Lead was not among them. 

“He knew that his control on you would break under certain pressures. Kylo…he knew that if you loved me, you would never fully belong to  _ him! _ ” Sitting up, the ginger shook his head, reaching out to cup the knight’s face. “Don’t you see?  It was only after your time with Snoke that your memories were erased.  It  _ had _ to have been Snoke who took them from you.  And he made it so that, if you ever tried to remember our relationship before, it would cause you so much pain and discomfort that you would eventually just stop trying.   _ That _ is how you forgot, Ky-- Ben.  It was Snoke.”  A pause.  A look of despair.  “Snoke has ordered me to take you back to him. To finish your training. But… He’ll do it again, won’t he?”

Kylo felt like he’d been shot by another bolt from Chewie’s blaster -  thrown temporarily off balance by the shift in tone and by the implications of what Hux was saying.  He leaned back and rolled off of Hux to sit beside him.  Kylo hadn’t had time to consider the reason for his loss of memory, at least not since the memories, themselves, had returned.  But Hux was right - it had to have been Snoke.  There was no other explanation.  His lips pressed together until they began to turn white, and he shook his head.  

All at once, Kylo seemed to ignite, like the ragged blade of his lightsaber - hissing and throwing off sparks.  A fire seemed to blaze in his eyes as he felt rage consume him from the inside out.  “From the very  _ beginning _ , it’s been a game to him.  He used  _ you  _ to ensnare me.  Then he used  _ me  _ to punish you.  He’s moved us around like pieces on a Dejarik board.  But I  _ won’t  _ let him do it again.  Not again.  I can’t… I  _ won’t  _ lose you again.  I will burn Snoke’s fortress to the ground before I allow him to harm you again!”  He had risen from the bed to pace around the General’s bedroom, fists clenched, and fire in his belly, all thought of tenderness momentarily forgotten.  

As the adrenaline began to dissipate, though, the wilted, slumping down onto the bed.

He lifted his gaze to rest on Calic - the man who had reached him when no one else could, who had changed his life and his heart forever.  “You could have died,” he said in a choked whisper.  “I could have lost you forever, without the chance to tell you...to show you...that I love you with every fiber of my being.”  Fresh tears shimmered in his eyes, spilling over his lashes and streaking down his cheeks as he reached out a hand to cup the ginger’s face.  “I love you so much, Calic.  And I’m never letting him take you from me again.” 

The ginger watched the tears as they drew lines in the knight’s face, parallel to the one that would leave such a jagged scar - a reminder of everything that had happened between them, of the fight they had waged together and lost together. Of their rise and fall and how they seemed to be slowly floating back to the ground - waiting to set their feet once more on square one. “I love you, too, Kylo, but I can’t keep you from him. I can’t… I can’t stand against Leader Snoke. As much as I want to keep you safe, there’s little I can do against his power,” Calic sighed, moving around until he could press their foreheads together. “But I don’t want to lose you.”

Kylo gazed into the General’s eyes.  His lips turned down in a little grimace of pain and frustration.  Everything Hux had said was true, and yet...   Finally, he shook his head and swallowed thickly.  “There must be a way.  There has to be.  We just need to figure it out.” 

With a sigh, Kylo slowly pulled back and slumped in defeat and shame, turning his back on the ginger. This was not the way this scenario was supposed to play out.  He didn’t want to be thinking about Snoke, of all things.  All he really wanted was to make love to the man beside him - to come together after so long separated - to become one again.  After all he had done to the General over the long months since his training, it shouldn’t have come as any surprise that Hux wasn’t anxious to hand over his body, heart, and soul on a silver platter once more.  And yet, the fact that Hux had brought up Snoke in that moment felt like a sort of rejection in itself.  

“I understand, if you want some time to think things through,” he said softly, staring down at his hands - the hands that had been so rough with the man with whom they should have been most tender - the hands that had torn down what they should have been building up.  “I’m so sorry,” he groaned.

“I…” The General sat up, not willing to accept that a part of him was bringing up such topics and information because it was easier to stall than to see what may or may not happen. That part of him was still convinced that everything was a trick and soon what seemed like a dream would turn into a nightmare once more.

Jade eyes flicked over to watch his lover’s back, a pale hand reaching out slowly to gently trail a line down the knight’s spine, tracing muscle and scars and everything in between. Silence stretched out between them as he remembered the image of knight he had seen in the locker room shower, to compare it to the one sitting beside him now. Finally, slender fingers reached up to weave into dark waves of hair.

“Come here.”

Kylo turned to face his lover and lay down on the bed beside him.  He wanted to pour himself out to the other man - to somehow explain why he had done the things he had done.  To try to convey the feeling of being utterly out of control, and desperate to grab hold of anything or anyone that would give him some reassurance that he wasn’t going to tumble headlong off a precipice at any moment.  But there were no words to express his feelings, and deep down, he knew there was no excuse for the way he had behaved.  So he rested his head on the pillow, naked, broken, and exposed, gazing steadily at the General.  

“I love you,” he said in a hoarse whisper.  “And I know I don’t deserve you.  But, Maker...I do love you.” 

A smile flickered across the ginger’s lips - playing on them like a bow over the strings of a violin for just the briefest of notes before Calic rested his hand against the taller man’s cheek. The scar across his face would never fully heal, but it would fade - a memory of a time that they lost. That they were broken down. That everything around them burned. And then they fell together despite it all. 

“Ben Solo,” Hux murmured, speaking words that had fallen from his lips before they had become  _ them _ . “Time is a thing you never have enough of, isn’t it? One day there, the next gone. Always...running. Never enough. Always letting you down when you most need it. Tick tock, Mr. Solo.”

His voice was level, still, just as it was when he was first being interrogated by the taller man, but lighter now - teasing - almost as if it were a joke that only they would ever fully understand. And perhaps, that was the most apt way to describe everything that had happened to them - a cruel joke that fate had laid out for them before they’d had a chance to realize it, and the last laugh was yet to be had.

“Kiss me, Kylo.”

A smile slowly spread, from the knight’s lips to his eyes, as he leaned in to kiss the General.  He poured all of that emotion he’d been bottling up into that kiss, whimpering softly as their lips pressed together hungrily, and his arms wrapped around Calic’s shoulders, pulling him tightly against himself.  Hot, salty tears trickled from his eyes, dampening both their faces as they fell, and he pulled away from the ginger’s lips to kiss the tears away before returning to his mouth once more, tongue nudging past Calic’s lips in a desperate desire for connection.  His fingers curled in the hair he had tugged and pulled, but had so long ago caressed and stroked.  Each sensation - so new, yet so familiar - set off fireworks in his chest and behind his eyes, and he projected silently [Oh, Maker...Calic...I’ve missed you so much.  Even when I didn’t know what it was I was missing… it was you.  It was always you.].

[I love you, Kylo,] The ginger answered back, his thoughts rushing through their mental link that had been so silent for so long. So cut off, severed, lost. Calic rolled them once, then again - placing the knight back on top of his slender frame and slipping his arms around the broad shoulders that had held him up and kept him steady before everything shifted so suddenly. Jade eyes fluttered open, the kiss breaking as Hux desperately worked to reimagine the face of his lover - reconstructing it from those memories that he never let go of and replicating it once more until it looked like the knight hovering over him. How far would they have to go to finally stay like this? To break free of the chains that bound them so horribly against one another without ever letting them simply  _ be _ . “Gently,” he repeated the word, playing with the hair at the nape of Kylo’s neck. “Make love to me gently, Ben.”

Kylo nodded, gazing down at the man who had been (and, hopefully, would be once more) his lover.  He was trying with all his might to pull himself together as he leaned down to kiss the ginger tenderly, their lips moving slowly in time with one another as he pressed their bodies together.    

Though Kylo was naked, the General was still fully clothed in the casual attire he’d been wearing to pack up Kylo’s things.  He shuddered to think about what might have happened, had he arrived later than he had.  His lips gently fluttered down Calic’s neck, leaving a trail of feather soft kisses on his pale skin, and his hands traveled down to untuck his shirt, long fingers creeping underneath to smooth his large palms up the ginger’s stomach.  A shiver ran through his body from head to toe at the sensation of Calic’s skin beneath his fingers.  Their sexual encounters of late had consisted of shoves and slaps, of pulling and pushing and lashing out, but never of the gentle touches and loving caresses that they had shared before Snoke had stolen his memories - stolen his very soul.  

A soft whimper slipped past his lips, muffled by Hux’s smooth skin, as his hands reached the General’s chest, fingers flitting quickly over his nipples, before grasping the hem of his shirt and urging Calic to lift himself enough to pull the shirt over his head.  

Calic let their clothes tumble together on the floor, making a pile that steadily grew until both lovers were bared to one another - fingers running over each other's skin as they wiped away the scars of their recent bouts of relief with one another... All those nights that had Hux wiping his skin in the shower until it was red and raw and left Ren sick, and head spinning... Bit by bit, it was erased by gentle caresses and stolen kisses, replaced by the days they once had with one another. Spreading his long legs, the ginger offered the knight his body, bringing them closer to one another as he arched under the taller man, breaking their kiss.   
  
"Kylo," Calic gasped, twisting slightly as he tried to press them closer together. "Need you. Want you."   
  
Kylo responded immediately, reaching to the bedside table for the small bottle of lotion he’d seen resting there.  He poured some over his fingers and rubbed them together, making sure they were soft and slick before reached down between Calic’s legs.  He took special care to ensure that his movements were slow, gentle, and deliberate.  As much as was possible, his gaze remained fixed on his lover’s jade green eyes, which gazed back at him with deepening trust, and in that moment he knew that he could never -  _ would  _ never - betray that trust again.  “I love you,” the knight whispered, never breaking eye contact as he gently pressed inside with one finger, preparing his lover’s body to receive him.  

The General made a soft sound - a noise that he would deny ever came from him - as the taller man started little movements with his finger, pumping it in an out in an almost teasing manner. A play on what they both knew Hux meant by ‘gentle’ and making it even more torturous with the slowness of it.  Calic didn’t complain, pulling Kylo into a quick kiss before releasing him once more. “I love you, too. I missed you, Ky.  I missed Ben.”

Kylo didn’t have the words to answer.  He had missed Calic, too, deep down in the darkest recesses of his subconscious mind.  It was why he’d been drawn to the General from that first night in the gym.  But saying it, now, seemed somehow  _ wrong _ .  How could he declare that he had missed this man when he had been the one who had forgotten?  What gave him any right?  So instead, he whispered, “I’m so sorry.  So sorry…” and leaned in to kiss his lover once more, as he added a second finger, curling forward to brush against his prostate as he pressed his tongue into Calic’s mouth.  

Once he had three fingers inside, Kylo pulled away from the kiss with a little smile, and began a trail of soft kisses down Hux’s chest.  He nuzzled against the ginger’s soft, pale skin, and licked a wide stripe from his navel, up to his collarbone, then kissed across to take a nipple between his lips to suck gently as he curled his fingers once more.  A quiet whimper fell from his lips as he pulled back to peek up at Calic from behind dark lashes.  Slowly, he pulled his fingers free and walked his hands down the mattress until his could take Calic’s arousal into his mouth.  

The ginger drew in a sharp breath - the noise stunted and shuddering as his head tipped back and he whimpered. The wet warmth around his length had long legs wrapping around the knight to keep him securely in place, silently begging for his lover to continue what he was doing as the man bobbed his head little by little. “Maker, you… Kylo…” Calic groaned, letting his eyes fall shut as the man pleased him and sent shivers through his body.  Such a give without take had the General gripping the bedding beneath him as he did everything he could to keep from pushing his hips upward and further into the other man’s mouth - not wanting to bring any accidental harm to his lover.

Not now that they were finally starting to stand on steady ground once more.

“So good,” Hux murmured, voice strained as he fought off whatever sensations attacked him and set fireworks off behind his eyes. “Maker, Ben…”

Kylo smiled around his lover, glancing up at Calic as he writhed and gripped the bed sheets.  The pleasure he saw etched in the gingers features ignited his own arousal, and he began to bob his head more quickly, sucking harder as he did so.  Just when he could tell that his lover was struggling to maintain control, he pulled back, letting Calic’s length fall from his mouth.  He nuzzled and kissed it, reluctant to be parted from it just yet.  Finally, he pushed himself up on hands and knees and crawled back over him, guiding his own length to Calic’s opening and carefully pushing inside with a groan.  

It was ironic, he thought, that they had come together so many times over the past months, and yet none of those times had felt anywhere close to the level of ecstasy he felt now, after seeking pleasure for his lover, and not for himself.  “Maker…” he breathed, leaning forward to bury his face against Calic’s neck, and began to slowly move his hips.  

The ginger came alive - his body arching off the bed and arms wrapping tightly around the taller man as he gasped. He was right there - poised on the edge as Kylo moved inside of him, thrusting steadily as his pace increased little by little. Calic fought, not wanting to end their night just as they had started, controlling his body and closing his eyes for a few moments as he drew into himself and forced himself to calm and cool down, if only just for a few moments more. “Force, Ben,” the General groaned, pushing at the knight until he moved away from Hux’s neck. Jade met onyx in a collision of crystals as their bodies moved in a dance that they had long since memorized… And then lost. “Maker, just like that. That’s...so good.”

Kylo nodded, breathless, as he obeyed his lover’s instruction.  He held Calic’s gaze as long as he could, breaking it only when he could no longer bear to not have their lips pressed together.  He kept his pace slow and steady, wanting to make this last as long as he could.  After so much time spent going through the motions of a loveless (on his part) sexual escapade, he was finally home - finally whole, after so long being shattered, knowing that there was a piece missing, but not understanding that the man who held that piece had been right in front of him all along.  

Desperate for breath, Kylo tore his lips from Calic’s, panting.  Every muscle in his body was pulled taut, ready to snap, sending him plummeting over the brink of his climax.  His arms trembled, nearly unable to bear his weight.  Gazing down at the ginger with heavy-lidded eyes, Kylo said, “I’m so close...Maker...Calic...I can’t...I’m going to…”  His sentence was never completed, however, as he cried out, hips bucking, eyes pinched closed, and lips parted as he met his climax.  He whimpered, sucking in gasping breaths as he once again buried his face against Calic’s neck, his teeth lightly grazing the tender flesh there as he rode out his orgasm.  

The General wasn’t far behind, crying out his lover’s name - his real name, not the one that was granted to him by the Supreme Leader, not the one made up on a trip through space, not even the one that sent tremors of terror through the galaxy. Ben. The name his lover held when they met. The name that he had cursed and snapped as they fought with one another through games of the mind and the tongue. The name of the man who had bested him - captured him and held him… And then set him free in more ways than he might ever fully understand.

Long legs wrapped around Kylo, keeping him from pulling away as their bodies trembled with one another and shuddered through climax together. They were a mess - hair out of place, eyes rimmed red from tears, kiss-swollen lips, and burning cheeks as they let their bodies be overtaken by warmth. “Force,” the General murmured, carding his fingers through the dark waves of hair that crowned Ren. “That was exactly what I wanted.”

Kylo collapsed over the ginger, so utterly spent that he didn’t even think about the weight of his body on top of Calic’s.  He panted, trying to catch his breath, and nuzzled the soft space between Calic’s neck and shoulder.  He couldn’t remember a time that he’d felt so completely content.  

Once he’d regained his breath, and his heart had ceased to feel like it would crash through the wall of his chest cavity, Kylo rolled off his lover and curled beside him, gazing with tenderness on his lover.  His body was sated, and his heart was full, and he was sure that he’d never seen anything so beautiful as the sight before his eyes at that moment.  

Calic had drifted into a light sleep, eyes closed, his translucent red eyelashes resting against his pale skin, lips slightly parted, his chest rising and falling steadily.  Reaching out a trembling hand, Kylo gently stroked the ginger’s silky copper hair, and ran his fingers down the pale, hollow cheek.  He smiled as Hux’s eyes fluttered open and cast their gaze on Kylo.  “You are so beautiful,” he whispered, smiling softly.  Then growing more serious, he added, “I don’t understand...I’ll never comprehend how it is possible that I could have forgotten you,” he whispered.  “Snoke be damned, I just can’t believe it.  But I suppose, deep down, a part of me never did let go.  Even when I didn’t know why, I couldn’t stop thinking about you - wanting you.”  

The knight frowned, the light, blissful feeling of post-coital ecstasy slowly waning, giving way to the heavy acceptance that they had a rocky path ahead.  For whatever reason, the Supreme Leader had made up his mind that Kylo Ren and General Hux should not be allowed to love one another.  It was, apparently, alright for them to relieve stress through physical outlets, but the deeper emotions were somehow taboo.  But why?  Perhaps, because he knew that, as long as Kylo loved another, he would never fully belong to the Darkness?  Or, more appropriately, he would never belong fully to Snoke.  His jaw clenched, and a muted rage flowed over him as he thought about how it had been Snoke’s design, all along, that had brought them together in the first place.  He was there, pulling the strings, every step of the way, always a step ahead of them.  There had to be a way to break the cycle.  

“What are we going to do, now?” he said in a quiet voice, only half directing the question toward his lover.  

The answer ‘I don’t know’ was simply not good enough for the ginger to voice out loud. They were backed into a corner and while he wanted to know exactly how everything would play out, the General simply had no idea about what to expect and what to do. “Well,” Hux stated, rolling onto his side once he decided that their intimate moment had passed. A moment later, he pushed himself up and rested against the headboard of his bed, biting the inside of his cheek as he considered all the information presented to him. “Snoke was undermining your emotional connection, not your physical actions. From a power perspective, that makes sense - if you were more emotionally attached to me rather than him, you would be more likely to act in regard to my well-being and my desires, rather than the Supreme Leader’s. Physical connection is useless and easily abandoned without emotional ties. It forced you to put his perspective and missions first, rather than your own or my own.”

Hux shifted, drawing a blanket over his long legs as he kept himself rested against the bedframe behind him. “So… What do we do?” Jade eyes focused on a random spot on the wall, the General’s mind snapping into action as he ran through strategies and calculations - fixing errors and shifting everything one way and then back again. “Committing any sort of treason would be idiotic - it would both get us no where before we were both captured and it would be a pitiful excuse of a rebellion. We lead the greatest army that the galaxy has ever seen, our positions and our purpose is already laid out for us. Leaving isn’t an option. Which means we are left with a more subtle resistance. We need to break his influence on you.”

Kylo shifted over, resting his head in Calic’s lap.  He lifted a hand to gently trace the lines of his lover’s chest and stomach.  His mind was still hazy from their lovemaking, but he knew that what Calic was saying made sense.  “What if we could somehow get a step ahead of him?  Beat him at his own game?  What if we made it so that he could never extract your memory from my mind? If our relationship was...well…”

The ginger wasn’t sure what the knight was talking about, exactly, but he nodded, pursing his lips as he considered what was being said. “It’s… If we could find a way to make it impossible for your mind to be tricked into believing that what is between us is, in fact, real, then Snoke’s influence over that part of your mind would, perhaps not be broken, but weakened to the point that his control over you would not be complete.”

Hux hummed, tilting his head. It was a possibility, certainly. After all, there were things in a mind that could not be changed - the sky would be forever blue, certain tastes in food and temperature, core values. Things that were inherent to a person and unique all at once. Those things that made each and every person who they were. Things that would not be so easily forgotten or behaviorally changed. “But how would we go about making a relationship - something that cannot be quantified effectively - into something that is the groundwork of your recognition of me?”

Kylo pushed himself up to sit beside Hux, twisting to face him, and lifting a hand to cradle his cheek.  “Calic...There are many things I do not know.  So many things I don’t understand.  But there is one thing I know… one thing I am sure of, with every fiber of my being, and that is that I love you, more than the air I breathe… more than the blood in my veins… more than life itself.  And I know that to lose you again would kill me.”  He smiled, tracing the ginger’s lower lip with the pad of his thumb before leaning in to kiss him tenderly.  When he pulled back, his gaze fell to Calic’s hands, and he reached out to clasp them in his own.  He lifted the General’s hands to his mouth, pressing a kiss to his knuckles, his heart racing.  

“Armitage Calic Hux,” he said softly, honey brown eyes meeting jade green, “Would you marry me?”


End file.
